Thieves broke into the Summerland Legion the night after the Memorial Day service. They stole more than $800 and caused extensive damage. The Summerland Legion is working to set up a GoFundMe page after thieves broke into Memorial Day ceremonies Friday, stole cash and trashed the building. Preliminary calculations show that $700 was received from the Poppy Fund. Another $100 was stolen from petty cash, but the biggest hit is the insurance deductible, which is up to $1,000. Extensive damage was caused to several doors, the ATM and electronic equipment. “Well, they came through our patio, broke down the door and all of our alarm systems. They killed everything. We have cameras and they took all the guts out of all that stuff and stole all of our donations that we got from yesterday. They took out of the cash machine and completely destroyed it,” branch President Marg Lynum told Castanet on Saturday. A number of people have contacted the organization saying they want to help replace the Poppy Fund donations received. If you want to show your support, there is a turkey and bagel fundraiser at the Legion on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Donations can also be made to the Legion, located at 14205 Rosedale Ave. The opening hours of the branch are:
Sunday: 2-7 pm Closed on Monday Tuesday to Friday: 11:30 am to 9 p.m Saturday: 1 to 9 p.m
Checks can be sent to Summerland Legion Branch 22, PO Box 370, Summerland BC, V0H 1Z0.
More details about the Go Fund Me will be posted on the Summerland Legion Facebook page. The crime comes as the Legion is just starting to get back on its feet after more than two years of COVID-19 restrictions. “It’s just like the Grinch who stole Christmas. I mean, how can they do this to veterans?” Lynum said. “It’s just the fact that they would do this on Memorial Day when we’re trying to get money to help our veterans and that’s when they hit us. How can someone be so disrespectful?” Anyone with information about the burglary and theft is asked to contact the Summerland RCMP.
