Whether it’s wing night, a meat draw or a family dance, everything at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 78 goes off thanks to its dedicated volunteers.
“The Legion here is truly the hub for the community,” said longtime volunteer Kristy Cheesman, and it's a place the whole family can go.
Cheesman has been volunteering at the Legion for about 40 years.
Her parents were Legion members, and as soon as Cheesman was old enough, she got a membership of her own.
Volunteering came shortly after.
“You just kind of dig in where you’re needed,” she said. “And it’s just kind of continued on.”
Volunteers take care of everything from serving and bartending to cleaning, but the cooking is left to a hired cook.
“It’s always fun, because you get to know new friends all the time, because there’s different volunteers coming in," she added.
“It makes you feel good when you're volunteering with a whole bunch of good people (and) that their intentions are the same as yours.”
Cheesman added they are always looking for others who are able to help out.
Between its committed volunteers and community supporters, the Legion is back on its feet after nearly closing its doors in 2021.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Legion had been operating quite nicely, but “COVID really knocked the heck out of it,” she said.
As a non-profit, the Legion relies on fundraising and is currently raffling off a pair of tickets for a sold-out Shania Twain concert at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary on May 9.
Tickets are available at the Legion and will also be available at AG Foods in Diamond Valley every Sunday until the draw on May 4.
Funding for the Legion goes towards operating the building as well as various programs to support veterans and the community.
For more information about the branch, visit turnervalleylegion.ca.
