As we have completed all ten of Roselawn Cemetery's spotlights of history from the Civil War to Afghanistan, October and November will be dedicated to learning about Wreaths Across America, and this is the story.
There is a beginning to everything in this world, and Wreaths Across America has a meaningful, unique beginning: the story begins with a 12-year-old boy who wins a trip to Arlington National Cemetery, and the cemetery leaves an indelible impression on his young mind.
ONE MAN GAVE RISE TO THE WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA OF TODAY
In 1980, 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 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 itself with a surplus of wreaths as the holiday season neared its end. Remembering his boyhood experience in Arlington, Worcester arranged for the wreaths to be placed there in one of the older sections of the cemetery that had been receiving fewer and fewer visitors each passing year.
The annual tribute continued for several years until 2005, when a photo of the headstones at Arlington, adorned with wreaths and covered in snow, circulated online. Suddenly, the project received national attention. Thousands of requests poured in from across the country, with people wanting to emulate the Arlington project at their cemeteries.
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/MIAs. 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, formed Wreaths Across America, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization to continue and expand this effort and support other groups around the country who wanted to do the same.
WAA is committed to teaching younger generations about the value of their freedoms and the importance of honoring those who sacrificed so much to protect those freedoms.
Saturday, the 19th of December, we will honor the Veterans laid to rest on Roselawn’s grounds. Wreaths will be placed at Roselawn representing veterans’ service in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, WW1, WW11, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Our goal for the coming year, 2026, is to have a wreath on every grave of the 4,000 veterans whose final resting place is the hallowed grounds at Roselawn Cemetery.
CONSIDER A SPONSORSHIP – FORM IS ATTACHED
REMEMBER the FALLEN * HONOR those who SERVED * TEACH our children the value of FREEDOM
TEACH our children the value of FREEDOM
The attached sponsorship form is provided.
2026 is the first year that Roselawn has offered the Family Tree Page as a sponsorship option. Your family name will be included in the Family Tree for the Wreaths Across America 2026 program.
Sponsor 5 wreaths @ $17 each = $85
Names of veterans sponsored will be acknowledged on a separate page, as those who served
Sponsors' names will be acknowledged on a separate page
Our goal for 2026 is to place a wreath at the final resting place of each of the 4,000 veterans on Roselawn's sacred grounds.
We would appreciate your support as we join hands to commemorate our veterans on Saturday, December 19, 2026, at 12:00 noon for Roselawn's 8th Annual Wreaths Across America Ceremony.
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Thank you - I'm a phone call away if you have questions,
Lucille Corsentino
719-406-3125 cell
