Wreaths Across America

Chair: Kate Engler

What A Year We’ve Had Already!

Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, the mission to Remember, Honor, and Teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at morethan 2,500 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea, and abroad.

This all-volunteer effort includes truck drivers who haul the wreaths to the National Cemeteries, volunteers who place the wreaths, and sponsors like our membership who donate both financial support and the wreaths. This year the wreaths will be placed on Saturday, December 13.

For each wreath sponsored through our club, we receive $5.00 for supporting their efforts in obtaining the donations.

This year we also begin a different approach in our efforts to support the Wreaths Across America’s outstanding staff. Managing the sponsorships for these 2,500+ locations as well as the volunteers needed to carry out this mission, we will support the last-minute rush by instituting the following:

  • CHECKS will only be accepted at the September meeting or by mail/delivery to Kate Engler before September 30. The reason is that the WAA staff is so small, and we had a lot of issues last year with checks that came in at the end of the sponsorship window. It can take weeks for those checks to post. The other reason is that we have done so well with the first two campaigns this year (2-for-1 campaign in January and Membership Renewal in May) that I would like to make it easier on all of us.

  • ONLINE sponsorships will be available until the cutoff date in November. We/I will be at a table for the September, October,and November meetings to answer any questions or help with the online orders. Those are easily/electronically recorded and posted the very next day. Our goal is to make this easy for anyone wishing to donate online.

  • Special matching programs. It is possible that another matching opportunity for 2026 will occur after the wreath laying on December 13. We will keep everyone aware of that.

  • Membership application/renewal process. Our membership has been so incredibly generous during the renewal process and we hope this makes it very easy for you to take care of all of your donations at one time. We appreciate you!

Your friends and associates can also sponsor wreaths through our club. Share our website with them. We now have three options: online, mail, and by phone. Spread the word! Look for details in our fall issues of the Spindrifter, eblasts, and at the meetings.

Currently you can select from:

  • Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery

  • Miramar National Cemetery

  • Greenwood Memorial Park

  • Many other national cemeteries

This is a win/win for deserving veterans and our club. Funds raised help support our various programs. For additional questions regarding cemeteries, placement at a specific gravesite, or any other topic please contact Kate Engler.

A donation form can be found on page 45.