(Kyle Donaldson presents his Stittsville Legion Bottle Drive donation to Legion President Barb Vant’Slot and Vice-President Tracey Shultz on October 3, 2020. Photos: Submitted)
By now, we have all heard of the financial strain on Legions across Canada, with the possible closure of some branches. Kyle Donaldson does not want to see this scenario occur at our local Branch 618. We told you of his start-up fundraising endeavour – a Bottle Drive – in August. Since then, Kyle has been tirelessly collecting empties to support the Stittsville Legion.
In July, Kyle set his goal at $500.00 while he collected empties from his family and friends. Well, he surpassed his goal and raised an incredible $517.75 in just over a month!
This past Saturday, October 3, Kyle humbly presented the funds raised from the bottle drive to Legion President, Barbara Vant’Slot and Vice-President, Tracey Schultz. “They were speechless to learn of the amount that was raised and extremely grateful to all those who supported and contributed to this great cause,” Kyle told Stittsville Central.
Kyle gratefully added, “I want to thank everyone who supported this bottle drive, from those who collected and donated their bottles, offered to help me collect, and those who simply shared this initiative with family, friends and neighbours. I had the opportunity of meeting some wonderful and friendly people as they waited patiently to help me load my truck with their donations. I want to especially thank my next-door neighbour, Tyler Payne, for spending some time to help me organize and complete the final drop off at the beer store (using his truck and trailer)”.
Kyle was taken aback and extremely impressed to see how the community gathered lending their support to his initiative in support of Stittsville’s veterans and their families. He is hopeful that the new building proposed by the Stittsville Branch will be constructed in the future and encourages everyone to support each other and community partners when possible.
“I hope all legions across Canada are still standing strong when we recover from this pandemic. This was not possible without all those who helped support me,” Kyle ended.
Watch for another initiative that Kyle plans for the future. We’ll keep you posted.
Awesome! Way to go Kyle!