Meet the team behind Collingwood's poppy campaign

A round table built at the former Kaufman's Furniture for the Collingwood council chambers is now the desk and workbench for the father-daughter team in charge of organizing the local poppy campaign. 

More than 30,000 of the velvety-red flowers on sharp silver pins are sent out from that round-table room at the Collingwood Legion Branch 63 and into the community with about 50 "taggers" and to the countertops at nearly 100 local businesses. 

The emblem of November, the poppy pin, is offered for free to anyone to wear through the month as a visual pledge to honour Canada's veterans, the living and the dead. Traditionally, people turn in a donation when they take a poppy from a box. The money goes to the local legion's Poppy Trust, where it is used to support local veterans. In Collingwood, some of the poppy fund is also donated to the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Foundation, and to a trust that supports several area hospitals. 

Jamie Berman and her dad Hans Muller run the local campaign with the help of many volunteers. Berman books off two weeks vacation from her day job every November to work on the local campaign, which also includes sending letters to donors asking for support. 

Annually, the campaign brings in around $20,000 or more. In 2020, the Collingwood poppy campaign donations reached a high of $50,000. 

"We haven't had a year like that since, but we've always brought in enough money to make substantial contributions every year to local veterans, as well as the hospital and the hospital trust," said Berman. 

So far this year, Muller estimates the campaign is at about $25,000 in donations. The work behind-the-scenes for the campaign begins in September and goes to the end of November. Berman starts sending correspondents to donors and dignitaries in early fall.

The campaign involves a lot of volunteers selling and sorting. Sometimes there are up to five people at the round table counting and rolling coins. 

Once, Muller had to bring $10,000 in coins to the bank – a load too heavy to carry in one trip. He credits the local bank clerks for their support. 

Muller said the local poppy fund is used to help veterans with things such as personal items, dentures, wheelchairs, strollers, paying bills, grocery cards, and more. 

The legion verifies that the person asking for help has a service record number and then gives specific financial help, never cash. 

Muller has been poppy chair in Collingwood for about 12 years. He said he's always grateful to the taggers, which are the people who go to various locations around town to personally sell poppies in vestibules or outside of front doors. Often, they are veterans and cadets. 

"We just appreciate it, when I think of Remembrance Day, I think of veterans and cadets being out in the neighbourhood canvassing," said Muller. Some of the veterans we have, they're pretty old, and they never complain if it's raining or if it's cold, they just want to do what they can. It's a good feeling."

This is Berman's sixth year (approximately) working on the poppy campaign, and she's six months into her first term on the legion's executive as the secretary. 

"It's really fun, but the best part is working with my dad, for sure," said Berman. 

This year, the legion's Nov. 11 cenotaph service is returning to the full program with a ceremony at the cenotaph on the Collingwood Museum grounds 

The event begins with a parade starting on Simcoe Street to the museum, followed by a wreath ceremony. The parade begins at 10:30 and members of the public are welcome to start gathering around the cenotaph before that.