Show BE A BUDDY poppy sale to provide F funds for C hildren children of soldier dead features like every american gh 1 and boy th the e children of our coun arys soldier dead are entitled to a normal home a atmosphere and a happy a py childhood to assure them of that american birthra birthright gh t veterans of foreign wars maintain the V F W national home in eaton rapids mich for widows and orphans of ex servicemen from this home every spring a little girl daughter of a deceased ex serviceman goes t to washington to present to the president the first buddy poppy this presentation Is preliminary to opening ol of the general sale ot of buddy poppies Pop ples which Is conducted annually by the throughout the nation during the week preceding memorial day A national goal ot of 21 million poppies has been set for or the 1847 1947 sale made by veterans buddy poppies Pop ples made by ills als abbed ex servicemen patients in government hospitals hospital as a a phase of their occupational therapy work are distinguished by a green label copyrighted by V FW french poppies pop ples made by women and children of 0 areas devastated in world war 1 I were used by the when it inaugurated he buddy poppy sale in n 1922 the present plan was developed in 1924 to extend the he relief afforded it by y the pop ples pies to men disabled aud and need needy y but still c capable of 0 making the flowers bowers was the first veterans organization to undertake the poppy sale lale on a nationwide scale entire proceeds of the sale are used for welfare and relief activities among veterans and their dependents pen dents s including an allotment to the national home houses children the site ot of the home now covering acres was the gift of corey 1 spencer and his wife mattle ebb spencer in 1025 the home at 41 BUDDIES AID funds derived from the annual budd buddy y poppy sa sale lewill will aid children and widows ot of ex servicemen at the national home in eaton rapids alch two of the children a are re shown here enjoying life W in the nursery consists of about 22 family size cottages no two exactly alike in architecture and furnishings there also 1 Is a hospital constructed by the tha auxiliary in 1931 approximately children so sons ns and daughters of deceased or totally disabled war veterans are living at the home they receive the benefits fits of an ideal home environment food clothing and education in return the hopes only that these children will grow up to become useful and patriotic citizens children are divided 1 into to family groups each group occupying a cottage supervised by a house mother who keeps strict watch over their welfare wherever possible the house mother is actually the mother of one or more of the children 0 honor navy dead each year as part of its poppy program and the memorial day observance the places a glan giant t wreath fashioned entirely of poppies at the tomb of the unknown soldier in washington and at the crypt of woodrow wilson world war I 1 president in the national cathedral thousands of similar smaller poppy wreaths aie placed at the graves of our hero dead throughout the country by posts another highlight of the organizations program is the presentation of a huge anchor of poppies to the secretary of the navy he in turn presents the wreath to the peary ship post of the an all navy unit tor for appropriate services on memorial day at that time the anchor Is cast into the ocean as a tribute to the men of the navy and marine corps who have lost their lives ives at sea |