Local VFW holds Second Annual Buddy Poppy Kick Off Scavenger Hunt
BY TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
May 21 is the kickoff for Buddy® Poppy Week. In Merrill, Mayor Steve Hass signed a proclamation declaring May 21-29, 2022, as Buddy® Poppy Week. You will see veterans throughout the community holding boards of the small red poppy flowers, and you may wonder what that’s all about. In particular, you will see them set up near Park City Credit Union’s main office by Walmart.
Each year since 1922, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Posts and their Auxiliaries in the United States hold an annual campaign where they distribute and share Buddy® Poppies and the public is invited to take a poppy for a freewill donation and display it proudly as a sign of their support for veterans and in particular, in memory of veterans who have lost their lives serving our country. Some will affix it in their buttonhole and wear it proudly. Others may put it on their bulletin board, desk, or rearview mirror of their vehicle.
The Buddy® Poppies themselves are assembled by disabled, needy, and aging veterans in VA Hospitals and State Veterans Homes across the country.
“All money contributed by the public for Buddy® Poppies is used in the cause of veterans’ welfare, or for the well being of their needy dependents and the orphans of veterans,” said Kathy Palazzo, local VFW Post 1638 Adjutant and Buddy® Poppy Committee Member. “The majority of proceeds derived from each campaign conducted by VFW Posts and their Auxiliaries are retained locally to provide for veteran services and welfare. Buddy® Poppy proceeds represent no profit to any VFW unit.”
“We will be set up at Park City Credit Union throughout the week for easy drive-by poppy distribution with a free will donation,” Palazzo said.
The VFW and Auxiliary are also sending a mailing to local businesses and all VFW Post 1638 and VFW Post 1638 Auxiliary members requesting donations to help veterans and their family members through financial or medical hardship, she said.
The poppy flower has been recognized as the memorial flower worldwide and is distributed by veterans organizations in memory of their fallen soldiers in North America, Europe, and in most of the countries of the British Commonwealth.
Local VFW holds Second Annual Buddy Poppy Kick Off Scavenger Hunt
VFW Post 1638 and Auxiliary will hold their Second Annual Scavenger Hunt & Buddy® Poppy Kick Off Event on Saturday, May 21, 2022, beginning at 1:00 p.m. with the Scavenger Hunt beginning and ending at the Northwoods Veterans Post (NVP), 601 Johnson St., in Merrill. The cost is $10 per person and participants should sign up and pay at the NVP prior to the day of the event. Rules will be provided at sign-up, and themed dress-up and a mascot are highly encouraged, organizers say. Clue sheets will be distributed to paid participants at the beginning of the Scavenger Hunt, and teams will return to the NVP by 6:30 p.m. for pizza, soda, and prizes. The cost of the pizza and soda is included in the entry fee. All team members must be present at that time to win.
“We are very excited to have participation from many members of the Tavern League, other local bars, and our member-owned businesses,” Palazzo said. When participants arrive at the Northwoods Veteran Post to register on the day of the event, they will be given a clue sheet to locate all of these businesses. When they arrive at the business, they will take a selfie for a point. Then when inside, the business will provide another clue. Another selfie after finding that clue will give them another point, she explained.
“There are additional clues around town that are not affiliated with a business, with a point for finding each of those clues,” she added. There are also points for purchasing something at the business and for finding VFW member-owned businesses.”
To join in the fun, register at the NVP before Saturday, May 21.