A new website launched by the Royal Canadian Legion has turned poppies into a portal to learn more about Canadian soldiers.

The red flower can be scanned on poppystories.ca to link individuals to fallen Canadian soldiers. John Griffin, the public relations officer with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 56, said the technological initiative could help bridge the gap between generations.

Each story on the website includes a photo of the fallen soldier, some personal information, and a detailed military timeline.

One of those stories includes Mark Robert Isfeld who died age 31, killed by a landmine while on a peacekeeping mission in Croatia in 1994. He might be best known for providing comfort to children in regions of conflict. With the help of his mother, Mark distributed Izzy dolls to children while serving on mission. His mother continued his legacy until her passing in 2007. With help from Canadians, today, their Izzy dolls have brought comfort to over 1.3 million children.

And how did that happen? According to the HPIC Canada website, Mark’s mother gave her blessing to Billy Willbond and his organization ICROSS Canada (International Community for the Relief of Starvation and Suffering) to carry on promoting, creating and distributing the dolls.

Health Partners International of Canada (HPIC) began working with ICROSS more than a decade ago. Through this partnership, HPIC became a major recipient of the Izzy Dolls.