(Photos: vimyfoundation.ca)
The Vimy Foundation is calling on Canadian schools to help pass the torch of remembrance by reciting In Flanders Fields in their classrooms.
As of Nov. 9, the foundation needs 25,000 more students on board to reach its goal of 100,000 participants by Remembrance Day, with Mississauga boasting the highest registration so far.
One hundred years ago, the iconic Canadian poem, In Flanders Fields, was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. Veterans of the First World War have passed, and the direct connection with their stories – of the tragedy of war, why they enlisted, and the impact of the war on them, their families, and their country – is gone.
Since the campaign was launched on October 26, teachers and principals from every province and territory have registered their classrooms and schools to recite In Flanders Fields during Remembrance Week; roughly 75,000 students are participating.Founded in 2006, the mission of the Vimy Foundation is to preserve and promote Canada’s First World War legacy, as symbolized with the victory at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917, a milestone when Canada came of age and was then recognized on the world stage.
-Kelly Roche
@qewsouthpost
