Home is where the heart is this Remembrance Day: HomeEquity Bank reminds Canadians of wartime sacrifice with Letters Home, a new Digital Poppy fundraiser that shares real letters from Canadian soldiers with current homeowners
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- Authentic letters sourced from the Canadian Letters & Images Project connect Canadians with soldiers who fought in the First and Second World Wars, providing an honest and thought-provoking reminder of their sacrifice
- The historical letters are being delivered to their original destinations across Canada and include QR codes to help drive Digital Poppy sales at mypoppy.ca
- Letters-Home.ca is an interactive tool to help Canadians of all ages feel connected to veteran stories
TORONTO – Nov. 2, 2022 – In honour of Canadian veterans who served their country in the Canadian Armed Forces, HomeEquity Bank, provider of the CHIP Reverse Mortgage, is the proud presenting partner of the Digital Poppy Campaign for the fourth consecutive year.
Video Caption: Letters Home 30-second national broadcast spot | Soldiers who sent letters Canadian addresses dreamed of returning home. Many did not. Honour their sacrifice with a Digital Poppy at MyPoppy.ca
Image Caption: Letters Home | Soldiers who sent letters to Canadian addresses dreamed of returning home. Many did not. Honour their sacrifice with a Digital Poppy at MyPoppy.ca.
This year HomeEquity Bank is proud to present the Letters Home campaign – a unique way to help bring Canadians of all ages a poignant reminder of the many wartime sacrifices of Canada’s veterans. The campaign will help connect current homeowners to residents from the past by sending replica letters from Canadian soldiers who fought in the First and Second World Wars to their originally intended addresses across Canada in the weeks leading up to November 11.
These genuine letters – sourced from the Canadian Letters & Images Project at Vancouver Island University, who make the archived letters available to the public – offer a unique and insightful window into the past, while also using today’s QR codes to help drive digital poppy donations and share a moving and thought-provoking video featuring Canadian veterans speaking about the importance and power of wartime letters.
As time since these wars passes, a growing number of young Canadians struggle to make a connection to our history. Now, everyone across the country will be able to forge a connection to the young men and women who served them by participating in Letters Home. The campaign’s digital map at Letters-Home.ca will allow Canadians to find and read letters sent close to their address, along with a prompt to donate to the Digital Poppy campaign in the name of a soldier who had originally written the letter.
“Each year we find creative ways to remind all Canadians about the sacrifices and countless contributions our brave veterans made for our country, and this year’s campaign really hits home – literally,” said Steven Ranson, President and CEO of HomeEquity Bank. “Technology is allowing us to share these wartime letters online and ensure their stories live on in a way all generations of Canadians can interact with. We hope Canadians engage with Letters Home, and reflect on the sacrifices these soldiers have made, so that it may deepen their understanding of what serving your country means.”
To further help spread the important message and get Canadians excited about the Digital Poppy, the Legion National Foundation and The Royal Canadian Legion have enlisted the support of several high-profile ambassadors, including Margaret Atwood, Kurt Browning, and Ashley Callingbull.
“The Digital Poppy is a great way to memorialize your proud support for our Canadian veterans, and it goes a long way to supporting our Foundation’s year-round programs that benefits veterans and their families,” said Dave Flannigan, Foundation Chair. “It’s a unique way to bring Remembrance into the digital age and spread it thoughtfully across social media.”
“We’re proud to be recognizing Remembrance Day again with the Digital Poppy, alongside our partner, HomeEquity Bank, for the fourth consecutive year,” said Bruce Julian, Dominion President, The Royal Canadian Legion. “The incredible sacrifices of our soldiers may already seem like a century ago, which makes finding ways to share these letters and the harsh realities they contain with today’s young Canadians all the more important.”
Letters Home also features a compelling 30-second video that includes quotes from real letters, which can be viewed here. The video has been airing across the country since October 31st. Canadians can also see the letters come to life in their own neighbourhoods, including Toronto, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Hamilton, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Halifax and Moncton, courtesy of national out-of-home advertisements across the country generously provided by Astral Media and Outfront.
The Digital Poppy campaign and Letters Home are two ways The Legion National Foundation and HomeEquity Bank are bringing Remembrance Day into the digital age and the hearts and minds of younger generations. Canadians can visit mypoppy.ca to learn more about how the Digital Poppy Campaign, Letters Home, came to life through a behind-the-scenes video, and to make a donation in support of Canadian veterans.
About HomeEquity Bank
HomeEquity Bank is a Schedule 1 Canadian Bank offering a range of reverse mortgage solutions including the flagship CHIP Reverse Mortgage™ product. The company was founded more than 30 years ago as an annuity-based solution addressing the financial needs of Canadians who wanted to access the equity of their top asset – their home. The Bank is committed to empowering Canadians aged 55 plus to live the retirement they deserve, in the home they love. For more information, visit www.chip.ca.
About the Legion National Foundation
The Legion National Foundation is a national organization that is dedicated to enriching the lives of Veterans in the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Through generous gifts from donors and initiatives such as the Digital Poppy, the Foundation supports Veterans and their families. Areas of impact include Veterans’ health and wellness, scholarships and bursaries for students and education for children and youth.
Media requiring further information, looking to coordinate an interview or to explore Letters Home, please contact:
Media Contacts:
HomeEquity Bank
Vivianne Gauci, SVP, Marketing and Customer Experience & CMO
Phone: (416) 413-4661
Email: vgauci@heb.ca
Weber Shandwick:
Adam Bornstein
(905) 505-2540
