St. Marys Legion works to become recognized as a service club for the community

Veterans and first responders share stories over coffee at the St. Marys Legion’s weekly Tuesday morning gathering. Pictured from left are Reg Rumble, president of the Royal Canadian Legion St. Marys, and his son, Mike Rumble, branch service officer at the St. Marys Legion.

By Alex Hunt

From coffee meetups to upcoming cornhole nights, the Royal Canadian Legion in St. Marys is putting community first, reminding residents the branch is a service club as much as it is a social club.

“For years, the Legion has been open to all members of the community, but it’s been difficult to get that message to the public,” said St. Marys Legion president Reg Rumble. “Over the decades, the Legion has become more inclusive with the natural change of our society.

“This is something that I have pushed for over the years. A lot of people don’t realize that the Legion is a part of the community, we are a part of town and we help raise money for all the town’s sports and events.”

One of the many activities offered by the St. Marys Legion, The Tuesday morning Buddy Check Coffee program encourages veterans, Canadian Forces members, RCMP, allied forces and first responders, and visitors don’t have to be a member. The program runs from September to June.

Mike Rumble, branch service officer at the legion and son of Reg Rumble, said that gathering provides a social outlet where people can feel comfortable sharing what’s going on in their lives. It’s also a way to encourage people to get out, get moving and stay connected.

The Buddy Check runs from 10-11:30 a.m., offering guests coffee and doughnuts donated by the local Tim Hortons.

Mike Rumble says the veteran community in St. Marys is made up largely of an older core group, with many connected to wars and service over the decades. While today’s veterans are still honoured and respected, the Legion also welcomes people from the fire service, policing and organizations like the RCMP, which often overlap with the veteran community.

“To me, the Legion’s a service club. No different than the Lions Club and other groups around town,” said Reg Rumble. “There are a couple times that the Legion hasn’t been invited to the community joint service club meetings. People think we’re just a bar, but we’re more than that; we raise money for the community like the other clubs do.”

The Legion is also adding more social activities, with Monday night cornhole set to begin around late November or early December. The Legion also hosts regular dart nights, cards and sporting events.

“We are also working on getting younger blood in the organization. Otherwise, it’s just going to fade out. We find it a little challenging to recruit members of younger generations,” said Reg Rumble. “We are doing nicely, though. We have more members than we had five years ago, so we are increasing our membership a little bit every year and that’s what the goal is.”