The Judd Kendall VFW has volunteers stationed outside of businesses all around Naperville accepting donations in exchange for a red poppy – one of the symbols of Memorial Day.
“We hand them out and we accept donations of any amount that anybody wants or no donation if that’s what they want,” said Judd Kendall VFW Quartermaster Phil Maughan.
One hundred percent of the donations go to the VFW’s relief fund, which directly benefits veterans and their families.
The poppy is an international symbol used to commemorate those who died in war. The famous World War One poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ by John McCrae describes the poppy flowers growing over the graves of fallen soldiers.
Poppy days this year are between Wednesday, May 23 and Sunday, May 27. Wearing a poppy in honor of those who died in war has been a tradition since 1921.
“It’s really a validation of what we do and understanding that people do stop and think about Memorial Day and its original meaning which is to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” said Maughan.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
