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Local Wreaths Across America seeks sponsors for annual holiday commemoration
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The annual Wreaths Across America commemoration is seeking local sponsors to help remember veterans this holiday season.
There are many ways to show your support for veterans every day of the year. One of the biggest fears of veterans is being forgotten.
A very special way to remember and honor a veteran is to sponsor a holiday wreath to be placed at Hartley, Kelseyville and Lower Lake Cemeteries for Wreaths Across America.
On Saturday, Dec. 15, members of the community will gather together to honor veterans during the holiday season as part of the annual Wreaths Across America day.
Youth organizations, the Lake County Military Funeral Honors Team and members of the Patriot Guard Riders have volunteered to conduct the Wreaths Across America ceremony this year at Hartley, Kelseyville and Lower Lake Cemeteries starting at 9 a.m.
Seven ceremonial wreaths will be placed to remember all soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who served, honor their sacrifices and teach younger generations about the high cost of our freedoms.
Specially designated wreaths for the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, and POW/MIA will be placed on memorials during a ceremony that will be coordinated simultaneously at more than 750 participating locations all across the country.
The Wreaths Across America story began more than 20 years ago when the Worcester Wreath Co. from Harrington, Maine, initiated a tradition of donating and placing wreaths on the headstones of our nation’s fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery.
Recognition of the service and sacrifice of our veterans and their families is especially poignant during the traditional holiday season.
Wreaths Across America has helped honor the memories of veterans buried at Hartley Cemetery since 2006 and moved to Kelseyville Cemetery last year and on to the Lower Lake Cemetery this year.
Individual sponsorships cost $15 for one wreath and the family option costs $60 for four wreaths, small businesses can fund 10 wreaths for $150 and corporations can sponsor 100 or more wreaths for $1,500 or any amount can be sponsored for $15 per wreath.
Toni Funderburg, Wreaths Across America coordinator in Lake County, said a recent anonymous sponsorship was made for 100 wreaths to be placed at the Kelseyville Cemetery.
This donor family has a very strong respect for those that have served in the military as they have and feel it is important to remember and honor those that have given so much for our country. Funderburg said the donors visited both Hartley and Kelseyville Cemeteries last year and were very moved by the respect that was shown to our Veterans.
She said the donors would like to see more fallen veterans honored and have committed to match sponsorships totaling $1,000 to make that happen.
Sponsorship forms can be picked up at Lakeport Tire & Auto Service, 1901 S. Main St. in Lakeport, or you can call 707-263-5422 and they will fax or email you a sponsorship form.
If you use Facebook, go to Wreaths Across America-Lake County, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wreaths-Across-America-Lake-County/103251736433906 . You can download the form after liking the Wreaths Across America page. Checks must be made to Wreaths Across America.
Wreaths also can be sponsored for veterans’ gravesites at other cemeteries but the wreath will need to be placed by the sponsor.
The cutoff date for sponsoring a wreath this year is Nov. 24.