Every year on Nov. 11, we celebrate Remembrance Day to honour those military members who have died serving Canada since the beginning of the First World War. We proudly wear bright red poppies on our hats or jackets to show our respect to the veterans and to support them.
White peace poppies were introduced in Britain by the Women’s Co-operative Guild to remember civilian family members who had died in war and as a lasting symbol of peace and to end all wars. In Canada it is a relatively new tradition for white peace poppies to accompany red poppies on Remembrance Day.
Since 2008, the Vancouver Peace Poppies (VPP) organization, (run by two volunteers) distributes white poppies to Canadian communities to help us remember and honour civilian war victims. More than 90 per cent of people who are killed during a war are civilians, including children.
The VPP uses any donations given in excess of covering the cost of the white peace poppies to support peace education for Canadian school children. VPP offers subsidies to provide white peace poppies to schools below cost and provides free teaching ideas and materials. Thus, anyone who purchases a white peace poppy is also making a valuable contribution to building a secure and peaceful world for our children and for future generations. For more information about the VPP and its work in Canada, please visit www.peacepoppies.ca.
Please support remembering both the deaths of military personnel and civilians by wearing a poppy or poppies of your choice on Remembrance Day. Many people wear both: a red poppy to remember the military victims and honour war veterans, a white poppy to remember the civilians who died in wars. White poppies also indicate a commitment to taking action to create a world of peace.
This year, the following Bowen stores are kindly offering White Peace Poppies: Cates Medicine Centre Pharmacy, Bowen Pet Supplies and the Hearth Gallery.
