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Date: 11/13/2023
WARE — The Ware Middle School Parent Teacher Organization is looking for wreath sponsorships to honor veterans at Aspen Grove Cemetery on National Wreaths Across America Day.
All sponsored wreaths will be placed at veteran’s graves on Dec. 16 following a 10 a.m. remembrance ceremony. The organization hopes to sponsor 500 wreaths in order to ensure all veterans are commemorated, Ware Middle School PTO member Katherine Rasys explained.
The PTO decided to host this event after nonprofit Wreaths Across America contacted the group about offering sponsorships for Aspen Grove Cemetery. The request was an opportunity to “give back to the community and honor veterans,” Rasys said, stating that they knew surrounding towns had previously sponsored wreath events.
While this is Ware Middle School PTO’s first time hosting an event for the nonprofit, Wreaths Across America has been organizing wreath placements at veterans’ graves since 1992, according to its website. On Dec. 16, Aspen Grove Cemetery will be one of more than 4,000 placement locations for wreaths, the website states.
Each sponsored wreath is specially constructed by the nonprofit to represent specific traits possessed by each veteran, according to the organization. These traits are belief, love, strength, honesty, humility, ambition, optimism, concern, pride and hope. The red bow is representative of the veterans’ sacrifice, while the use of evergreen clusters symbolizes endurance and its scent shows simplicity. The website also notes that the wreath’s round shape highlights eternity. Together, the wreath is an embodiment of the organization’s mission to “remember, honor and teach.”
The Ware Middle School PTO will receive a $5 donation for every wreath sponsored using the organization’s unique URL, Rasys said. However, she stated that the group hasn’t decided yet whether to keep these funds or donate them for future veterans projects.
For more information about the event or to sponsor a wreath, visit wreathsacrossamerica.org/MA0195P.