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More youth needed for tagging in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows

Stores like Rona and Canadian Tire had hardly any taggers outside this year
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More young people needed for tagging. (THE NEWS/files)

About 100 additional poppy taggers were needed to bring in donations for veterans and their families this Remembrance Day.

And, Judy Ballard, chair of the local poppy campaign, would like to see more youth involved.

“It would be nice. I mean we all need volunteers and our young people are the way we’ve got to go,” said Ballard who has been poppy chair for the last three years.

RELATED: Poppy taggers desperately needed in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows

“The seniors and the older people, we are not going to be able to keep it up all the time. So the younger people are who we are going to rely on to take it over,” she continued adding that it is important that children are involved when they are young.

This year Ballard had about 80 taggers from the local sea, air and army cadet groups along with the 1st Haney Scout Group.

The taggers ranged in age from 12 to 16 years.

RELATED: Maple Ridge students plant metal poppies at legion ahead of Remembrance Day

However, Ballard said, she never has enough volunteers and is hoping next year there could be some involvement from local schools as well.

“I always have a lot of empty spots,” she said.

Ballard said with the exception of the youth groups, the same 50 people volunteer and go out multiple times during the campaign.

But there were stores like Rona and Canadian Tire that hardly had any taggers outside this year.

Ballard is hoping that they meet the amount of donations that were collected last year.

She expects to have a final amount tallied by Nov. 20.


 

cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com

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Colleen Flanagan

About the Author: Colleen Flanagan

I got my start with Black Press Media in 2003 as a photojournalist.
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