Wreaths Across America Fundraisers

Why We Do This:

Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, was a 12 year old paper boy for the Bangor Daily News when he won a trip to Washington D.C. His first trip to our nation’s  capital was one he would never forget, and Arlington National Cemetery  made an especially indelible impression on him. This experience followed  him throughout his life and successful career, reminding him that his  good fortune was due, in large part, to the values of this nation and  the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

In 1992, Worcester Wreath found  themselves with a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday  season. Remembering his boyhood experience at Arlington, Worcester  realized he had an opportunity to honor our country’s veterans. With the  aid of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, arrangements were made for the  wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older sections of the  cemetery that had been receiving fewer visitors with each passing year.

As plans were underway, a number of other individuals and organizations  stepped up to help. James Prout, owner of local trucking company Blue Bird Ranch, Inc., generously provided transportation all the way to  Virginia. Volunteers from the local American Legion and VFW Posts  gathered with members of the community to decorate each wreath with  traditional red, hand-tied bows. Members of the Maine State Society of  Washington, D.C. helped to organize the wreath-laying, which included a  special ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 

The annual tribute went on quietly for several years, until 2005, when a  photo of the stones at Arlington, adorned with wreaths and covered in  snow, circulated around the internet. Suddenly, the project received  national attention. Thousands of requests poured in from all over the  country from people wanting to help with Arlington, to emulate the  Arlington project at their National and State cemeteries, or to simply  share their stories and thank Morrill Worcester for honoring our  nation’s heroes.

Unable to donate thousands of wreaths to each state, Worcester began  sending seven wreaths to every state, one for each branch of the  military, and for POW/MIA's. In 2006, with the help of the Civil Air  Patrol and other civic organizations, simultaneous wreath-laying  ceremonies were held at over 150 locations around the country. The  Patriot Guard Riders volunteered as escort for the wreaths going to  Arlington. This began the annual “Veterans Honor Parade” that travels the east coast in early December.

The annual trip to Arlington and the groups of volunteers eager to participate in Worcester’s simple  wreath-laying event grew each year until it became clear the desire to  remember and honor our country’s fallen heroes was bigger than  Arlington, and bigger than this one company. In 2007, the Worcester family, along  with veterans, and other groups and individuals who had helped with  their annual veterans wreath ceremony in Arlington, formed Wreaths  Across America, a non-profit 501-(c)(3) organization, to continue and  expand this effort, and support other groups around the country who  wanted to do the same. The mission of the group is simple: Remember. Honor. Teach

In 2008, over  300 locations held  wreath-laying ceremonies in every state, Puerto  Rico and 24 overseas  cemeteries. Over 100,000 wreaths were placed on  veterans’ graves. Over  60,000 volunteers participated. And that  year, December 13, 2008 was  unanimously voted by the US Congress as  “Wreaths Across America Day”. 

In  2014, Wreaths Across America and its national network of volunteers laid over 700,000 memorial wreaths at 1,000 locations in the United States and beyond, including ceremonies at the Pearl Harbor Memorial,  as well as Bunker Hill, Valley Forge and the sites if the September 11 tragedies. This was accomplished with help from 2,047 fundraising groups, corporate contributions, and donations of trucking, shipping, and thousands of helping hands. The organization's  goal of covering  Arlington National Cemetery was met in 2014 with the  placement of  226,525 wreaths.

The wreath-laying is still held annually, on the second or third Saturday of December. WAA's annual pilgrimage from Harrington, Maine to Arlington National Cemetery has become known as the world’s largest veterans’ parade, stopping at schools, monuments, veterans’ homes and communities all along the way to remind people how important it is to remember, honor and teach.