HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024 Veterans of Foreign Wars Buddy Poppy Proclamation
Proclamation
Veterans of Foreign Wars “Buddy Poppy”
In the City of Hastings, Minnesota
WHEREAS, At the end of World War I, The Veterans of Foreign Wars adopted the poppy
as a symbol of freedom and the blood sacrificed by troops in wartimes; and
WHEREAS, Poppies are worn and displayed as a symbolic tribute to our fallen and the
future of living veterans and servicemembers; and
WHEREAS, The annual distribution of Buddy Poppies by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of
the United States has been officially recognized and endorsed by governmental leaders since 1922;
and
WHEREAS, the Buddy Poppy was registered with the United States Patent Office in
February 1924. A certificate was issued on May 20, 1924, granting the VFW Organization all
trademark rights in the name of Buddy under the classification of artificial flowers; and
WHEREAS, The Buddy Poppy was adopted as the official memorial flower of the Veterans
of Foreign Wars of the United States, as it remains today; and
WHEREAS, The Buddy Poppy program provides financial assistance in maintaining state
and national veteran’s rehabilitation and service programs and partially supports the VFW National
Home; and
WHEREAS, The basic purpose of the annual distribution of Buddy Poppies by the Veterans
of Foreign Wars is eloquently reflected in the desire to “Honor the Dead by Helping the Living”.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Mayor of the City of Hastings, do hereby
urge the citizens of this community to recognize the merits of this cause by contributing generously
to its support through your donations for Buddy Poppies on the day set for the distribution of these
symbols of appreciation of the sacrifices of our honored dead.
FURTHER, I urge all patriotic citizens to wear a Buddy Poppy as mute evidence of our
gratitude to the men and women of this country who have risked their lives in defense of the
freedoms which we continue to enjoy as American citizens. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereunto
set my hand and sign this proclamation on this 6th day of May, 2024.
_____________________________
Mary D. Fasbender, Mayor