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Date: 11/27/2023
LUDLOW – Sgt. Joshua D. Desforges Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3236 Ludlow and Capital Driver Leasing LLC will host its seventh annual Wreaths Across America ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 12 p.m. at Island Pond Cemetery.
The laying of the wreaths at each Ludlow cemetery will start at 10:30 a.m. with the help of volunteers.
After every wreath is laid, Ludlow Veterans Services Director Eric Segundo will host a ceremony to further honor all the veterans for the sacrifices they have made.
Ludlow recognized WAA in 2017 with the help of Brenda Shields-Dean and Heide Blackak who are members of Capital Driver Leasing., the past location coordinator and fundraising group for WAA.
Shields-Dean said Blackak took pictures while volunteering at Arlington National Cemetery, “bringing back with her a feeling of pride and patriotism.”
Sheilds-Dean added, “She brought back some amazing pictures that were awe inspiring and we decided what could we do here in Ludlow seeing how it is a great little patriotic town and so we signed up as location coordinators and fundraising group and we were able to cover all the graves within Island Pond Cemetery with a wreath.”
Each December, WAA’s mission is to remember, honor and teach by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as more than 3,400 locations throughout all 50 US states and abroad.
“Every year it has been a great turnout and have had fantastic fundraising activities. It’s remembering our fallen heroes, it’s honoring those who have served and it also helps teach the children about the value of our freedom which is the mantra of Wreaths Across America,” Shields-Dean said.
The idea for WAA started nationally when Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company in Maine, won a trip to Washington, D.C., as a child that changed his life and Arlington National Cemetery left an impression on him.
In 1992, Worcester Wreath found themselves with a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season.
Worcester realized he had an opportunity to honor our country’s veterans.
Arrangements were made for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older sections of the cemetery.
This tradition would take place quietly until 2005 at which time a photo of the stones at Arlington, covered by with wreaths and covered in snow, made its way around the internet.
The project quickly received national attention and thousands of people reached out either wanting to help with Arlington or replicate the Arlington project at their National and State cemeteries.
The wreath-laying is still hosted annually and nationally on the second or third Saturday of December.
This is a tradition that Sheilds- Dean and company wanted to make sure to bring to its community.
Shields-Dean added, “With much help from our veterans affairs agent, Eric Segundo, we were able to organize Ludlow’s first wreath laying ceremony at Island Pond Cemetery in 2017.”
The goal this year was to have 950 wreaths sponsored, with one wreath on each veteran headstone in Ludlow.
They have shattered that mark and have already sponsored almost 1,000 wreaths so far.
“This year we have exceeded our goal already which usually we are right up to the deadline. Not only do we do Island Pond Cemetery, but we have the Joshua D. Desforges memorial, we have the veterans memorial in the center of town and we also have family members of Ludlow who may be laid to rest in Indian Orchard so they will take wreaths their as well,” Shields-Dean said.
Even though they have reached their sponsorship goal for this year, Shields-Dean said they are still accepting donations to start raising for next year.
Shields-Dean said, “We are still raising funds so that it will go into next year’s tally. Even though we met our goal, any sponsored wreaths go towards next year and it is always great to have that cushion. It makes it easier to know we are in a better position at the beginning of the year.”