Support heroes and war veterans
 
For the occasion of Veterans Day in November, you can buy a poppy flower to pay tribute to war veterans and heroes who fought for freedom and democracy. Poppy flowers will be available at hundreds of locations across the country – in cafes, libraries, shops, public institutions and city streets. You can also donate online. We will turn your virtual poppy into a real one and plant it in a symbolic flower bed in one of the regional cities.

By purchasing a poppy, you are contributing to two causes: direct assistance to heroes through the Memory of Nations Help Center, and the recording and preservation of their memories for future generations.

The public fundraiser has been organized since 2014 by the non-profit organization Post Bellum, which has been recording the stories of war veterans for over twenty years. The Memory of Nations archive contains over 1,600 of their testimonies. The documentary filmmakers' interest has expanded to include other heroes who fought for our freedom. One of the largest archives of oral history thus offers the stories of participants in the Prague Uprising, resistance fighters against Nazism and Communism, and of dissidents. Their stories are told by Post Bellum through exhibitions, publications or documentary programmes. The focus is also on intergenerational dialogue – children meet the survivors during school programmes or in theater groups. The witnesses also have the opportunity to speak of their memories at lectures or on trips to the places where they lived these stories.

The Memory of Nations Help Center was established to support war veterans, freedom fighters, and other witnesses who have entrusted us with their life stories. Those who once fought for our freedom often face loneliness and vulnerability in old age. We are grateful for the trust they have placed in us by sharing their stories. We listen to them, stay in regular contact with them, and are ready to step in whenever we find out they need assistance. After several years of operation and thanks to the support of the Veterans Day collection, the Help Center has become a registered social service. Today, we provide free professional social counseling in all regions of the Czech Republic. Half of the proceeds from the collection are used to support the activities of the Center.

Veterans Day is celebrated worldwide on November 11th, marking the end of World War I in 1918. Poppy flowers covered the graves of soldiers killed on the Western Front and have therefore become a symbol of the holiday.

All information and ways to get involved in the collection can be found at denveteranu.cz.