Wreaths Across America is gearing up to honor local veterans and first responders with an outdoor celebration and the placing of wreaths on graves at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 at Linn Grove Cemetery, 1700 Cedar Ave., in Greeley.
Wreaths Across America is a national nonprofit program started in 2007 by Morrill Worcester and his wife, Karen. The nonprofit not only honors military veterans and first responders but also works to remind people across the U.S. how important it is to remember those who served our country and their communities.
To date, the program and its numerous participants and volunteers have laid over 700,000 memorial wreaths at more than 1,000 locations in the U.S., including ceremonies at Pearl Harbor Memorial, Bunker Hill, Valley Forge and sites of the Sept. 11 tragedies.
“It kind of became a family thing that has grown into a nonprofit association,” said Chris Ruth, an organizer with the event. “Linn Grove Cemetery has been participating in the program since 2014.”
The event at Linn Grove Cemetery, sponsored by the Union Colony Exchange Club, will feature guest speakers and tributes from local leaders and community members before placing wreaths on the graves.
“After the ceremony, we ask those that are there to help us place the wreaths at the graves and to say that person’s name as a way to honor and remember them,” Ruth said. “It’s a tearjerker and very meaningful.”
The fresh balsam wreaths are placed at the graves of veterans, firefighters, police officers and paramedics who have served their country and community.
Wreaths are $15 each. The cemetery is in need of 1,800 wreaths to ensure that each veteran and first responder is honored.
“Each year, we are looking for enough sponsorships to ensure that all veterans get honored at Linn Grove,” Ruth said.
Along with Linn Grove Cemetery, wreath ceremonies are set to take place in Evans, Eaton, Ault, Briggsdale, Fort Collins, Platteville, Brighton and Sunset Memorial Gardens in Greeley.
People interested in purchasing a wreath for the Greeley event can do so by check or credit card.
Checks should be made payable to Wreaths Across America- COL CGG CO 032.
Checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 336961, Greeley, 80633 or dropped off at the following locations:
* Linn Grove Cemetery, 1700 Cedar Ave., Greeley
* Adamson’s Life Celebration Home, 2000 47th Ave., Greeley
* Hykes Ace Hardware, 1722 9th St., Greeley
* Pirate Radio, 2308 29th St., Unit 102, Greeley
Credit card purchases for the Greeley event as well as other Wreaths Across America events can be made online at http://bit.ly/3UNikfQ.
Sponsorships for wreaths will be accepted until Monday, Nov. 28.
All ages are welcome to attend the ceremony and place wreaths on graves. Attendees should dress for chilly weather and arrive early to park and make their way to the ceremony site.
“This is a nice way to remember and honor those who served, but also, our motto is to teach the next generation,” Ruth said. “For many families, this has become a tradition that they do together.”
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(c) 2022 the Greeley Tribune
