Beset by falling membership and revenues, Red Deer’s Royal Canadian Legion is looking at ways to achieve a healthy, balanced budget in the new year.
President Owen Lowe said the local legion is facing the same challenges in making ends meet as legions across the country. “All legions are having a tough time keeping up membership. There’s less interest.”
Red Deer’s membership has fallen from 4,000 people in the early 1980s to about 2,000 today. One of the main reasons is an aging demographic.
Lowe said only a “handful” of Second World War veterans remain, while many Korean vets, who weren’t initially acknowledged by the Canadian government, belong to their own associations.
While many legions have tried reaching out to soldiers returning from Afghanistan, younger veterans generally aren’t interested in memberships.
While you don’t have to be a veteran to join a legion, many of the existing members have stopped regularly supporting events, such as Friday and Saturday night dances, added Lowe. This has meant lower revenues from food and drink sales.
And Lowe has also noticed a drop in Nevada ticket sales and VLT proceeds in the legion-run Molly B’s lounge.
As a result, the Red Deer legion been operating with a deficit.
While he declined to reveal the size of the shortfall, Lowe said it can be made up from a healthy savings account. “We have lots of money in the bank.” But without increasing revenues, the savings will eventually be depleted.
While inquiries were made in the past about the possibility of subdividing the Bremner Avenue property, Lowe said the city was not favourable to this proposal.
He stressed there’s no need yet to look at “drastic restructuring,” such as selling the legion building and moving to a smaller space. “We haven’t reached that point.”
But he added the legion needs to be proactive in seeking solutions.
Some of the ideas that will be discussed in the new year are varying or reducing hours to save on overhead expenses, and a membership raising campaign promoting the legion.
Lowe said different kinds of entertainment is also being considered to draw bigger audiences.
The legion is already leasing out space to a sports shop and a nail salon, which helps the bottom line, he noted. “Any way we can save money or increase membership will be considered.”
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com