This year marks the 90th anniversary of Branch #23 of the Canadian Legion Ladies Auxiliary, known locally as the Neepawa Legion Ladies. Founded with 16 charter members, the organisation now has over 80 members, including 5 life members, making it the largest service organisation in the Neepawa area. Membership used to be tied to Royal Canadian Legion membership eligibility, which required a person be a veteran or immediate family or descendant of a veteran, but membership is now open to any woman over the age of 18.

The Legion Ladies Auxiliary has its roots in WWI, when Canadian women were asked to help wounded returning vets by visiting, raising funds, and sending parcels. That tradition of service has carried on through the years, and the Neepawa branch currently helps raise thousands of dollars each year for youth programs, healthcare, non-profits, and more. They have given a scholarship to a local graduating student every year since 1956.

This month they have turned their attention to the situation in the Ukraine, and the needs of families caught by or fleeing the conflict. They are holding a roast beef supper - which they are locally most famous for - to raise funds to contribute to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (www.cufoundation.ca), to be allocated where the need is the greatest.

After putting a hold on them for many months during the pandemic, the organisation is currently also planning a supper in conjunction with an old time dance in May and another to support the local Handi-van. These fundraising suppers are traditionally their biggest draw, and they have partnered with many groups over the past few years including the Neepawa Wildlife Association, the Air Cadets, and Hazel M Kellington School, among many others.

Kathy Jasienczyk, public relations coordinator for the Neepawa Legion Ladies, notes how important these kinds of events are and this kind of volunteerism is, and when people think they’re too busy to help, she encourages they to think back on how they were helped when they were younger. She would love to have membership from the local Filipino community, and branch their dinners out into new cuisines.

"I just think that most people, whether they know it or not, are benefitting from these organisations, what they're contributing [such as] the daycare's playground equipment [or] HMK,” says Jasienczyk. “That is something that the whole community is benefitting from, and a lot of that money is raised by fewer and fewer people in these organisations. And if they're not replaced, it's not going to be as vibrant a community as we have now."