CARLISLE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – An American Legion Post at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility raises thousand of dollars by making a very small flower. The money is used to help others.

Once a week 10 to 12 inmates, who are members of Post 398, make poppies.

“You will get calluses on your hands from rolling the poppies on a constant basis,” Army veteran Vick Johnson said.

“You will get poked and pricked,” Army veteran Jason Halcomb added. “Myself, I’ve made 175,000 poppies.”

The poppy is the official flower of the American Legion. It reminds people of the sacrifices made by our veterans. The poppies created at the prison go to American Legion Auxiliaries across the country.

They’re sold by those auxiliaries as fundraisers.

“We are now the top leading poppy makers in the entire nation,” prison chaplain David Walker said.

Walker oversees the poppy making and American Legion Post 398.

According to him, for each poppy inmates create their Legion receives 10 cents. The Legion then donates the money to help others.

“They’re very important to the men and I really feel a sense of pride in being able to take part because the money is all donated back out to veterans’ benefits and to children’s benefits,” said David Walker.

“We have made mistakes in our lives and because of those mistakes, we are literally paying for it right now,” continued Vick Johnson. “But when the Legion was implemented at this facility, it gave us the opportunity to reeducate ourselves, rededicate our lives, remember the principals that we learn in the military and gives us a chance to give back to our community in a better positive way.”

“Regardless of how much money we make, we just gonna give it away,” said Jason Halcomb.

Over the last few years, they’ve now made more than a half-million poppies adding up to thousand of dollars raised to help others.