A small community in western Prince Edward Island joined forces in a heartfelt effort to honour their local veterans. A large crowd gathered at the Wellington Legion for the unveiling of an impressive display featuring nearly 4,300 hand-knitted and crocheted poppies cascading down the side of the Legion building.

The project, which began in March, brought together volunteers from across PEI as well as Nova Scotia and Ontario. These volunteers dedicated many hours to creating the poppies. Kathleen Couture, a Legion member who helped spearhead the initiative, shared how the volunteers met monthly at the Legion to work on the poppies together. The project quickly grew, becoming a remarkable display of the community’s dedication and respect for veterans locally and abroad.

The idea for the initiative came when a veteran discovered a similar display on social media and shared it with the Legion’s executive members. Inspired by the concept, the group quickly decided to undertake the project.

Legion President Mario Couture described the emotional impact of seeing the finished display. He admitted that if he had been alone when he first saw it, he might have shed a few tears. He described the display as both overwhelming and beautiful, calling it a powerful tribute created by the community. Mario also highlighted that the installation is a meaningful way to honour the sacrifices made by veterans.

In addition to knitting and crocheting the poppies, other community members supported the project by donating funds to purchase wool and other supplies. The final display exceeded expectations, with about 1,000 poppies left over. Plans are underway to use these extras to create a blanket that will be auctioned off to support the Legion’s poppy trust fund.

One volunteer, Rejeanne Arsenault from Miscouche, knitted 800 poppies, just short of her original goal of 1,000. Arsenault, whose husband is a veteran, expressed pride in the display, believing it would resonate deeply with the veterans and the wider community.