WALLACEBURG – The revitalization of an important building along the banks of the Sydenham River will also commemorate a beloved citizen who was a huge supporter of the community.
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The planned $1-million renovation of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 18 took a major step forward on Friday with an announcement the family of Steve Bilodeau is donating $275,000 to the project.
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The goal is to have the project completed in time for the legion’s 100th anniversary in November 2026.
The heart of the renovation is to update the current public meeting space that will be named the Steve Bilodeau Event Centre.
Plans also call for adding a new, elevated patio that will wrap around the south and west side of the event centre, which will include new windows for a full view of the Sydenham River.
Chantelle Seton, a daughter of Bilodeau, said when the family saw the plans for the project “not only did we love it we knew that it was something dad would have instantly loved.”
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Known for his philanthropy in the community, the long-time businessman, who passed away on March 27, 2022 at age 59, would have loved the new modern and clean look the legion will have when the renovation is completed, said Seton.
The donation came from the Steve Bilodeau Memorial Golf Tournament.
“We’re humbled, we’re overwhelmed and we’re just really excited to see this project come together,” Seton said.
She added her dad was a huge supporter of the legion, especially what it has done for the community of Wallaceburg.
Bilodeau and his wife Cheryl also enjoyed many good times at the legion.
“It was just awesome to get together with friends,” Cheryl Bilodeau said.
“We would come for the meat draws and a bunch of us would get together after all the meat we won and go to each other’s homes and cook up what we had,” she added.
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“This is just a great place to support.”
The renovation project is viewed as being critical to the future of the local legion, project organizers say.
It is also hoped the revitalization will attract more people to be involved in the legion.
“We need to do something to make the facility more attractive to our community,” said past-president Mike Hindmarsh.
“We saw we’re either going to be part of the change or we’re going to be like the dinosaur and it’s going to disappear.”
Research shows more than 50 per cent of Canadians still think you have to be a veteran to be able to join the legion, Hindmarsh said.
“It hasn’t been that way for 30 years,” he said. “You don’t have to be a veteran to come to the legion.”
Billed as Branch 18 at the Forks, the building is located on one of the most prime pieces of real estate in Wallaceburg’s downtown where the east and north branches of the Sydenham River meet.
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Hindmarsh said there are people from other legions and others passing through who are impressed when they see the property.
“This is one of the nicest legion locations they’ve ever seen in their lives,” he added.
He reminded the public the legion is a non-profit organization with veterans remaining the top priority.
“After that, we use everything (we raise) for our community, especially kids programs and senior programs,” Hindmarsh said.
Seton said her family agreed.
“If don’t support the legions, they can’t stay around and do the good work they do for our veterans and for our communities,” she said.
Seton added it is important for the project to move forward and create a space for the next generation to enjoy the legion and new event center, and the waterway in Wallaceburg.
The public is also being called upon to donate to the project. More details, including renderings of the project, are available at www.branch18.ca. For more information on donating to the project, contact Sue Baert (Atherton) at 519-381-0061, [email protected] or Sam Taylor at 519-627-0914, [email protected].
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