ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Arlington National Cemetery is known by many as the Nation’s cemetery. Every December since 1992, wreaths have been placed on the graves of our nations fallen heroes. It takes nearly 230,000 wreaths to cover every section and grave at Arlington. Many people assume that those wreaths are placed by the government. They are not.
“We are three sections or about 30,000 wreaths short of our goal to cover every headstone at Arlington,” said Karen Worcester, Executive Director of Wreaths Across America. “We need help today to honor all those who served and made the ultimate sacrifice. Each individual wreath is a gift of respect and appreciation, given by a private citizen or organization and placed on the graves by volunteers as a small gesture of gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy.”
Each live, balsam remembrance wreath costs $15.00. For centuries, fresh evergreens have been used as a symbol of honor and serve as a living tribute renewed annually. Wreaths Across America believes the tradition represents a living memorial that honors veterans, active duty military and their families.
What began as a pilgrimage by Maine businessman, Morrill Worcester, to deliver 5,000 wreaths he donated to Arlington in 1992, has become a national mission based on a simple yet powerful idea: Say their names so we never forget and they are never forgotten.
Every year as wreaths are distributed, Karen Worcester reminds volunteers of Morrill’s vision to say their names, “In truth, a person dies twice; once when we stop breathing and a second time when somebody mentions our name for the last time.” On Saturday, December 12, National Wreaths Across America Day, over 800,000 volunteers will gather at veteran’s cemeteries and other sacred locations in all 50 states and beyond to ‘say the names’ of a million fallen to make sure they don’t die a second time.
To learn more about how you can help honor veterans, visit: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/WAAHQ and follow us on Twitter @WreathsAcross www.Twitter.com/WreathsAcross.
About Wreaths Across America:
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman, Morrill Worcester, in 1992. The organization’s mission - Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies each December at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as hundreds of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.
