FERGUS – As the country begins to reopen from the pandemic, the Fergus Legion is taking the opportunity to regroup and has issued a community survey it hopes will help steer the organization for the next five to 10 years.
It’s the first time Branch 275 has conducted such a survey. Indeed, it is the first time the organization has developed a long-term strategic plan, said first vice president John Martin in a phone interview July 5.
“We’re looking at the future of the Fergus Legion,” he said. “The community has changed so much, and our members are getting older. We want to attract a different demographic. We want to make sure the Legion continues.”
The Royal Canadian Legion is known for providing services to veterans, but many people don’t realize local branches often hold fundraisers to benefit community organizations as well.
And its members organize poster and essay competitions for school-aged children, track and field events for youth, and, of course, Remembrance Day ceremonies.
Martin said the branch has a brick and mortar building at 500 Blair St. that’s open to the public for food and beverages as well a league events like euchre, darts and pool.
The legion also rents its hall for weddings and special occasions. All of these have been on hold during lockdown.
“We struggled like a lot of branches,” Martin said. “We did get government assistance, and we took advantage of that. And we had some generous donations, that really helped pay the bills.”
The challenge now, Martin said, is to never forget the Legion’s foundation of remembrance and community support while finding new ways to attract new members, cultivate volunteerism and create facilities and events that attract community involvement and support.
And so the survey.
It will take five to 10 minutes and the feedback and suggestions will help set the direction of future planning and community engagement for the Fergus Legion.
Submissions will remain anonymous. The survey can be found at https://sprw.io/stt-c51f3b until July 16.
