HALIFAX – Sometimes even the best of intentions aren’t enough.
A knitting group in Fredericton started stitching together poppies, with the intention of selling them to raise funds for the Royal Canadian Legion.
The volunteer effort was inspired by their close family connections to the military.
Even though they raised hundreds of dollars, once the legion got wind of the project they asked the knitting circle to stop.
“It’s unfortunate we couldn’t have come to an agreement out of this,” said knitter Trish Campbell. “I think there isn’t a Canadian knitter out there who wouldn’t knit a poppy and donate it to the legion.”
The legion owns the Canadian trademark on the poppy and collects millions of dollars every year from the poppy campaign.
“Although the donations were going to the legion poppy fund, the fact is there was a charge for the poppies,” said Bob Maxwell, of the legion’s Poppy and Remembrance Committee, in a telephone interview. “So, an individual would have to pay $5 in order to have a poppy.”
He said it was that commercial aspect of the good intention that ran afoul with the legion, not the group’s desire to stitch wool poppies.
The woman honoured the legion’s wishes.
But the story has sent the organization into damage control, with many people on social media sites saying the legion should be thankful that people are trying to help.
Maxwell said the legion had a suggestion for the women, to still use their stitching skills to help vets.
“The idea came up that possibly their talents could be used to even more benefit, in providing scarves and mitts and so on which are really needed for veterans this time of year,” he said.
The knitting circle has taken the rejection graciously. They say they’ll keep knitting the poppies for their family and friends to wear.
But, they’ll donate the approximately $1,000 dollars they collected, with orders going as far away as Arizona, and donate it directly to the Veteran’s Health Unit at the city’s hospital.
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