A new and innovative campaign is helping Canadians connect with soldiers from the past to mark Remembrance Day.
As time goes on, Canadians become further removed from the atrocities of the World Wars, and young people have a harder time identifying with veterans.
This year, to remind Canadians of soldiers’ wartime sacrifices, HomeEquity Bank is sending authentic letters from soldiers who fought in the First and Second World Wars to their original destinations across Canada.
Two letters are being delivered to homes in the Vernon area, both from First World War soldiers. One letter is also being sent to a home in Armstrong, also from the First World War.
The Letters Home campaign sourced the letters from the Canadian Letters and Images Project at Vancouver Island University. The campaign is a unique way to help bring Canadians of all ages a reminder of the many watrime sacrifices of Canada’s veterans.
The campaign’s digital map at letters-home.ca allows people to find and read letters sent close to their address, along with a prompt to donate to the Digital Poppy campaign in the name of the soldier who had originally written the letter.
HomeEquity Bank is the presenting partner of the Digital Poppy campaign for the fourth straight year. The bank is not only sending the letters to Canadian homes, it’s also placing them on billboards across the country and broadcasting them on a national TV spot.
“Each year we find creative ways to remind all Canadians about the sacrifices and countless contributions our brave veterans made for our country, and this year’s campaign really hits home — literally,” said Steven Ranson, president and CEO of HomeEquity Bank.
“Technology is allowing us to share these wartime letters online and ensure their stories live on in a way all generations of Canadians can interact with. We hope Canadians engage with Letters Home, and reflect on the sacrifices these soldiers have made, so that it may deepen their understanding of what serving your country means.”
To further spread the message and get Canadians excited about the Digital Poppy campaign, the Legion National Foundation and the Royal Canadian Legion have enlisted several ambassadors, including Margaret Atwood, Kurt Browning and Ashley Callingbull.
“The Digital Poppy is a great way to memorialize your proud support for our Canadian veterans, and it goes a long way to supporting our foundation’s year-round programs that benefits veterans and their families,” said Dave Flannigan, Foundation chair. “It’s a unique way to bring Remembrance into the digital age and spread it thoughtfully across social media.”
Visit mypoppy.ca to learn more about the Digital Poppy campaign.
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