Sponsors sought for Wreaths Across America campaign
Members of the George Washington Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) are seeking sponsors as they participate in National Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 13.
A donation of $17 will purchase one wreath to be placed on the grave of a veteran at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies, which serves the entire tri-state area as a final resting place for veterans, their spouses and in some cases, their dependent children.
Last year, individuals or groups placed more than 16,200 wreaths, marking every grave at the Cecil Township cemetery. SAR sponsored 3,048 of those wreaths.
“One of our missions with the SAR is preserving the memory of Revolutionary War soldiers, and veterans in general,” said Gary Timmons, local Wreaths Across America Chairman. “That’s one way our chapter can actually recognize veterans is by doing Wreaths Across America.”
Typically, about 2,000 volunteers, including veterans, lay wreaths on the graves on Dec. 13.
“To see that much support and have people come out and do this on a cold Saturday, it’s something special,” said Timmons.
Wreaths Across America originated in 1992 when Merrill Worcester, the owner of a nursery in Harrington, Me., had an overabundance of wreaths.
Remembering a trip he had taken as a paperboy to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., he got the idea to donate his excess wreaths to the cemetery as a gesture of remembrance and honor for the men and women who served their country.
That gesture led to the national movement to put wreaths on the graves of all veterans.
In 2024, an estimated 2.5 million volunteers placed 3 million wreaths at 4,200 locations in the U.S. and 25 on foreign soil. Nearly one-third of the volunteers were children.
About 29,000 veterans, including two Revolutionary War soldiers, are buried at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.
Wreaths cost $17 each and are tax deductible. Anyone wishing to sponsor one can make checks payable to “Wreaths Across America” and send it to Gary W. Timmons, local Wreaths Across America chairman, 13 Elm Lane, Wheeling, W. Va. 26003-4905. He also can be contacted at 304-242-8759. The deadline for sponsorship is Nov. 27.