We’re only three weeks away from Wreaths Across America Day on Saturday Dec. 14, when the Webster community will come together to place wreaths on 2,100 veterans’ graves.
Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit organization which began 30 years ago, its mission to place a wreath on the grave of every veteran in the country. Last December, more than two million volunteers placed more than three million wreaths at 4200 cemeteries across the U.S. and abroad.
Webster was a big part of that effort. Last December, an estimated 1,000 adults and children, including first responders, veterans and active service members, gathered at Webster Union Cemetery to lay 1,350 wreaths.
It was an impressive turnout which put Webster on the Wreaths Across America map. Out of 235 participating towns in New York State, our little town ranked 9th for the number of veterans honored that day. And out of 6,706 locations nationwide, we ranked 248th. That’s in the top 4% in the country. What’s particularly noteworthy is that we achieved these rankings with only three participating cemeteries.
Local organizers hope the community will show that commitment again next month as Webster joins Wreaths Across America for the third straight year. This year, even more support is needed, because Webster’s Wreaths Across America effort will be expanding to FOUR cemeteries.
On Saturday Dec. 14, volunteers will be placing about 2,100 veteran wreaths — 1,000 at Webster Union, 55 at Union Hill, 736 at Webster Rural and 309 at Holy Trinity cemeteries.
The plan is to meet at noon at Webster Union Cemetery (corner of Rt. 250 and Woodhull) for a military Wreath Day ceremony at noon, after which volunteers will fan out to the other cemeteries and within Webster Union to place the wreaths.
Adults and children of all ages are encouraged to take part in this very moving event. It could be a new holiday tradition for your family and a great way to teach your children about how important it is to remember and recognize our nation’s veterans.
This would be an especially meaningful day if one of your family members is a veteran resting at one of the ceremonies. You can personally a sponsor a wreath for him or her and place it on the grave yourself. If you’d like to do that, email WebsterWreaths@icloud.com with the name of your loved one and your sponsored wreaths will be set aside for you.
Right now, you can help by sponsoring a wreath (or several). Click here to do so. Individual wreath sponsorships are just $17, and $5 from each will go to one of three charities of your choice: the Blue Star Mothers, who will use the funds to prepare and ship care packages to deployed servicemen and women; Gold Star Mothers Rochester who provide meals and support for veterans in need; and the Coats for Kids program sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.
So mark your calendar now for National Wreaths Across America Day, Saturday Dec. 14, and stay tuned for more details. You can also follow the Wreaths Across America Facebook page to keep up on all the latest news.
And check out this great feature which ran recently on Channel 8, featuring Webster’s local Wreaths Across America coordinator Cherie Wood.
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(posted 11/23/2024)
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