Local Veterans Remembered During the Holidays
Wreaths Across AmericaTM Day To Honor Veterans At Oakwood Cemetery And Over 750+ Participating Locations Nationwide.
For Immediate Release
October 11th, 2013, Waco, Texas - On Saturday December, 14th, 2013 members of the Waco community will gather together to honor veterans during the holiday season as part of the annual Wreaths Across America Day.
The Civil Air Patrol's Waco Composite Squadron has volunteered to conduct the ceremony this year at Oakwood Cemetery on Saturday December 14th, 2013 starting at 11:00 a.m. CST. Seven ceremonial wreaths will be placed to remember all soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who served, honor their sacrifices, and teach our 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 over 750 participating locations all across the country.
There are over 35,000 persons buried at Oakwood Cemetery. Although the exact number of graves belonging to veterans is unknown, approximately 6% of McLennan County is a military veteran. Our goal is to raise funds for over 2,000 wreaths to place on the graves of veterans. This is a major fund raising event for the cadet program in Waco.Currently almost 100 wreaths are slated for delivery to Oakwood Cemetery but sponsorships are still available up until November 25th. Sponsorships received after that date will be applied to 2014 events.
In 2013 it is projected that over 400,000 wreaths will be placed nationwide, by over 150,000 volunteers as part of the Wreaths Across America mission to Remember, Honor, and Teach.
The Wreaths Across AmericaTM story began over 20 years ago when the Worcester Wreath Company 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.
Worcester Wreath Company continues to be a major supporter of the project, donating over 30,000 total wreaths in 2011. Over 400,000 wreaths will be sponsored by individuals, businesses, and groups from communities Nation-wide. Wreaths will be placed in all 50 states from Maine to Alaska and Hawaii, and at 24 national cemeteries on foreign soil.
If you would like to sponsor a wreath, or would like more information about events planned for your community, please call Jason Unwin at 254-230-9860 or 719-671-2407 or by email jasonbunwin@yahoo.com for more information.
Persons may also order online by going to http://waa.convio.net/goto/TXCAP148
For a YouTube video of last year's ceremony, go to http://youtu.be/wUjMjE9_BmI
If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Karen Worcester ~ Executive Director of WreathsAcrossAmerica.org call Toll-Free: (877) 385-9504 or email karen@wreathsacrossamerica.org
Contact:
Jason Unwin at 254-230-9860 or 719-671-2407 or by email jasonbunwin@yahoo.com for more information.
Wreaths Across America (WAA) is a national non-profit organization that has grown quickly to encompass over 750 participating locations and 150,000+ volunteers around the Country.
The Wreaths Across America's mission is to Remember, Honor, and Teach. Remember the fallen, Honor those who serve including their families who sacrifice, and Teach our children the cost of the freedoms we enjoy each day. It is our shared belief that...
'The nation which forgets its defenders will soon be forgotten.' Calvin Coolidge
WAA pursues its mission with nation-wide wreath-laying events amid the holiday season, and year-round educational outreach inviting all Americans to appreciate our freedoms and the cost at which they are delivered.
Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide, operating a fleet of 550 aircraft. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to nearly 27,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet programs. CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 71 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.
Sincerely,
Capt. Jason B. Unwin, CAP
Deputy Commander for Cadets
Waco Composite Squadron
PS. If you would like to support Wreaths Across America at a ceremony closer to your location, please go to http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/ to locate a cemetery close to your location.
__._,_.___
No comments:
Post a Comment