It began some twenty-seven years ago in Maine which was the home of a family-owned business called the Worchester Wreath Company. The employees and the owners had a marvelous tradition of donating Christmas wreaths to be placed on the headstones of our Nation’s fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia that is the final resting place for over 400,000 veterans. The interest and the demand to participate in the project grew to include honoring veterans in all fifty states as well as veteran cemeteries around the world. In 2007 the Worchester family, along with veterans’ organizations and several other groups that had volunteered in placing the wreaths at Arlington, established the Wreaths Across America, a not-for-profit organization, to continue to expand their efforts and support others around the country that wanted to do the same. Their mission is simple-Remember. Honor. Teach. by placing the wreath on the headstone and the act of saying the name of each veteran aloud. Funding comes from individuals sponsoring a fresh evergreen wreath for about $17.00 and corporate donors pay for the majority of the costs for the program and trucking and transportation companies donating fuel equipment and staff making it possible for the organization to transport and deliver some 1.7 million wreaths to about 2,557 locations all over the country. Each year the Wreaths organization selects a theme for the year and this year 2023 it is Serve and Succeed. The theme focuses on the many ways people can be successful in serving the needs of their communities. On National Wreaths Across America Day, which is Saturday, December 16th please join the members of Boy Scout Troop 102 from Glen Spey at 10am in Heroes Park in Eldred as they honor our local veterans. After the ceremony the Scouts and their volunteers will be placing over four hundred wreaths on the headstones in our local cemeteries including the towns of Highland and Lumberland. The Wreaths Project has been active in Troop 102 for some time as the members of the Troop traveled to the United States Military Academy at WestPoint- a designated national landmark and one of the oldest military cemeteries in the country dating back to the first interment in 1782 and placed wreaths. Kain Quimby, a member of Troop 102, decided that his project for his Eagle Scout Service Project submission would be to bring the Wreaths Across America program to our local community. He did all his research and identified all 404 graves of our local veterans some dating back to the Civil War, raised all of the funds needed to purchase the wreaths, and planned the upcoming event in Heroes Park next weekend. This is a wonderful service to our proud veteran’s community in the Town of Highland. For additional information go to www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.