Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 19 continued ... continued ... EVERY DARK CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING If you were to ask me how things are going with you and your Branch, and if I was honest, I would have to say at times it just sucks. Then just when you think you hit rock bottom something good happens and you rise right back up on top again. On Saturday 2nd of July 2022, our Poppy Chairman and I went to the home of a young student to present her with her award for achieving 2nd place in the National Poster & Literary Contest. Sara and her older sister were always very competitive and were enthusiastic students when it came to the Legion’s Poster and Literary Competition. They would enter every year in each category of their division and would often place 1st or 2nd at the local and provincial levels. During the course of the evening, I mentioned to Sara how proud we are of her and her accomplishments and of course, how proud she makes the Royal Canadian Legion, the Port Hawkesbury School System and Branch 043 in particular. I asked Sara what was the “Sparkler” that got her so keenly interested in the Legion Literary and Poster Contest? Without hesitation she replied, “It was my Grade 5 teacher Ms. Janice DeCoste” at the Tamarac Education Center. When Comrade Corbett presented Sara with the cheque from the Legion National Foundation, Sara very graciously accepted her prize and said, “now it is my turn to pay it forward.” She wanted to donate her prize money of $500.00 to the Poppy Fund. Since Sara did not have a checking account, she wondered what would be the best method to make her donation. Her father was quick to jump into high gear and wrote a cheque to the Branch Poppy Fund and assured all of us that he would collect the remittance from Sara. It is a night like this that makes me feel honored to be part of the Royal Canadian Legion and the work it does. Here is a young girl who works and studies hard. She knows the objects and principals of the Legion. She understands and feels the sacrifices our Veterans have made. She demonstrates these qualities by writing prize winning poetry to illustrate her feelings in support of our troops. Sara loves her parents, she is thankful for her teachers, she has honored the Royal Canadian Legion and she does “Remember them.” It is true, not every day is great or without consequences. We just have to look for the good and be able to recognize it when we see it. “The milk of human kindness never curdles.” John Langley, Zone 3 Commander Left to Right - Zone 3 Commander Langley, Sara Pluta, Poppy Chairman Rod Corbett
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