BONNYVILLE – Laying poppies on the gravesites of local veterans each November is an act that has been carried out by numerous Grade 12 École Notre Dame High School students over the years.
The act of remembrance and acknowledgement of sacrifice is part of a national No Stone Left Alone campaign that began in Edmonton to honour Canadian veterans who served the Canadian Armed Forces.
The campaign was started by Maureen Bianchini Purvis 11 years ago and has been adopted as an annual event of remembrance by hundreds of schools in every province across the country.
In 2021, there were 7,702 students from 88 communities who placed 67,171 poppies on veterans' gravestones in 131 ceremonies Canada-wide, according to statistics released by No Stone Left Alone (NSLA).
Notre Dame students are just a few of the thousands of students who take part in the campaign that has recently spread across the Atlantic Ocean to England, France, Poland and South Africa.
“I want to set a positive example for our youth – that if you have an idea, a passion or dream, go forward to the best of your ability. Reach out for support from those around you. If it is the right thing, the ripple effect is real,” said Bianchini Purvis, in response to receiving one of Alberta’s 2022 Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medals.
The NSLA campaign has rippled across the country and beyond. It started as a promise to Bianchini Purvis’s veteran mother to not forget her on Armistice Day, commonly known as Remembrance Day.
Bianchini Purvis kept her promise, and since she was 13 years old, she has been laying poppies at her mother’s grave every Remembrance Day.
Years later, as Bianchini Purvis transitioned into motherhood herself, one of her daughters noticed a disheartening occurrence and asked why there were no poppies on other soldiers' graves in the Beechmount Cemetery.
That is when the idea for the NSLA campaign was born.
From the time the campaign took root, Bianchini Purvis had one mission and that was to safeguard the memory of Canada’s veterans. To ensure an ongoing national respect and gratitude for all Canadian men and women who have lost their lives in the service of peace at home and abroad.
The simple yet powerful act of laying a poppy and reading the name of the serving veteran aloud is inspiring the next generation to remember those who came before and who fought for their freedoms.
For her work and dedication to keeping the past in the present mind of today's youth, Bianchini Purvis has been honoured with several awards including Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal in 2021 and most recently Alberta’s Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal.
Through the campaign, Bianchini Purvis continues to encourage students who have participated in the event to send her reflection letters, explaining what they learned by participating in the ceremonies.
With growing numbers of participants, the non-profit is seeing an ever-increasing volume of messages and calls from students eager to explain how the program has affected them.
The NSLA campaign became an annual event for Notre Dame High School about six years ago after the family of a student whose grandparents were veterans brought the initiative to the attention of the school.
Grade 12 students have taken part in the campaign every year since.
“They recognize that this is something that is important, and they come back being very reflective and thoughtful,” said Siobhan Squires, a Notre Dame teacher and organizer for the event.
