Montréal, Quebec
Sylvain has served at his local Royal Canadian Legion Branch in a number of capacities, including Vice-President, Sergeant-at-Arms and Service Officer. Mr. Hamel pays regular visits to Ste. Anne's Hospital to visit with Veterans. He performed live vignettes entitled "Vimy - the Life of a Soldier during World War 1," at the Canada Pavilion in 2005, the Maritime Fall Fair in 2006, and at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in 2007 as part of the ceremonies marking the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. In all, Mr. Hamel has performed the vignette on more than 650 occasions from coast to coast and in both official languages. The vignette is based on the A Chronicle of The Unknown Soldier", authored by Mrs. Diane Tardif of Veterans Affairs Canada's Quebec Regional Office. Mr. Hamel spent many hours at the Pavilion promoting the exhibit and speaking with visitors. He was also part of the Dominion Institute's Memory Project. Mr. Hamel has participated in a local campaign to deliver care packages to Canadian troops in Afghanistan. Mr. Hamel is well known for his genuine enthusiasm, generosity and rapport with Veterans.