When the Langley Legion was locked up for the night on Dec. 30, there was still someone in the 56 Avenue building.
Whoever it was had apparently hidden with one purpose in mind: to raid the till.
However, when the hunt for cash proved unsuccessful, the culprit took out his — or her — anger and smashed the walls of a washroom for the handicapped, which is next to the office, and caused substantial damage to the door frame.
“They made a terrible mess,” said Donna Watson, who chairs the poppy fund.
The damage totaled $5,000, a burden for the cash-strapped Legion. The culprit used a stool that had been made especially for a diminutive member of the Legion, to help her reach things.
Thankfully, nothing was stolen, said Barb Prystupa, second vice-president of the Legion.
Seeing the damage was a shock for Legion members who came in the next day intent on putting the finishing touches for a New Year’s Eve dinner and dance that night.
A handful of members worked throughout the day to clean up the debris, and in January the Langley Rotary Club offered to give the Legion $2,500 towards repairing the damage.
“It came out of the blue,” Prystupa said. “We can’t thank them enough. It was a very nice gesture,” she said, adding that the Legion can always do with volunteer help — and it doesn’t need to be financial.
“I think it’s pretty awesome that they came forward right away to help us out. It’s very much appreciated,” Watson said.
One of the ways the Legion recovers costs is through the proceeds of its regular Sunday pancake breakfasts.
It costs $5 per person, and people don’t have to be Legion members to enjoy Sunday breakfast from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.