Poppy Week to Support Veterans,
Memorial Day Parade Coming
(Crystal A. Proxmire, 5/15/2011)
The week of May 16 is Poppy Week in Ferndale, a proclamation by City Council on May 9, 2011 makes it official. Frank Flores of the American Legion came before council to talk about the tradition of the Poppy Day, which takes place across the country on May 19. In Ferndale, poppies will be sold at 9 Mile and Woodward.
“The focus is on raising funds for a broad project of unquestionable merit,” state the proclamation, read aloud by Ferndale Mayor Dave Coulter.
Crepe paper poppies are hand made by vets in Veterans’ Hospitals across the country. They are given away but there is a suggested donation of $1 to help fund the program.
Flores told council “This program provides multiple benefits to the Veterans and to the community,” said Frank Flores, who is an active member of the American Legion. “The hospitalized Veterans who make the flowers are able to earn a small wage which will also supplement their income, and it will make them feel more self-sufficient. The mental and physical activities provide therapeutic benefits as well. Donations are used exclusively to assist and support the Veterans and their families.
‘The poppy also reminds the community of the sacrifices and the continued needs of our Veterans. This poppy has become a nationally known and recognized symbol of sacrifice and is worn in honor of the men and women who served in battle and died for the country in all wars. So on April 19 is our Poppy Drive. I will be out there and hopefully a few veterans out there on 9 and Woodward, we’ll be asking again for donations.”
American Legion & Auxiliary from George W. Danuk Post 330 and the VFW, Paul H. Hornaday Post 1407 will be involved with this year’s Poppy Day. Both groups have been displaced from their buildings in recent years due to the decline in the economy, although Flores and other volunteers fight to keep veterans and those lost in war in the hearts and memories of the public.
The Annual Memorial Day Parade will start at 10:00am on May 30. Parade participants enter the parade along Livernois from Maplehurst, Lewiston, Cambourne, and Breckenridge Streets. The Parade officially starts on Livernois at West Breckenridge, and heads north. The parade will march east on Maplehurst, south on Woodward, west on 9 Mile, and south at Livernois, ending at the Memorial Mall in front of Ferndale Fire Station #1. There is then a brief service paying homage to soldiers lost.
