CALVERT COUNTY, Md. – Feeling like getting in the holiday spirit? Join the Boy Scouts, Pack 1792 of Calvert County as they honor the veterans who have passed by putting wreaths on their gravestones through Wreaths Across America.
The Boy Scout pack has 37 active members and meets at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Sunderland. Terra Delong, committee chair for Pack 1792 said, “Last year the pack decided to start a sponsorship group for the national non-profit, Wreaths Across America.”
The Wreaths Across America program whose mission is to Remember, Honor, and Teach, places wreaths on headstones of veterans all across the country, and this year more than 4000 groups are participating.
Delong states, “Every location is signed up by a volunteer and it does not have to be a national cemetery, as long as veterans are buried there a location can participate.” With the wreath sponsoring deadline making its way the organization is hoping to beat its previous goal of 2.7 million wreaths.
Every $17 wreath sponsorship towards the Wreaths Across America initiative is one wreath on a headstone and $5 towards the individual pack itself. Pack 1792 also works to wreath the headstones at Cheltenham, MD Veterans Cemetery which has over 30,000 buried.
The deadline to sponsor these wreaths was November 28th but Delong states, “ Wreaths will be added to the truck until it leaves so if people continue to sponsor there is a good chance those wreaths will still ship this year. Wreaths that aren’t shipped will be carried over to 2024 and wreaths can be sponsored all year.”
Last year, Pack 1792 sponsored about 124 wreaths and with the $5 back to the pack per wreath they can fund their various excursions such as purchasing awards, patches, and belt loops also each month the pack has one larger activity that funds will go to.
Delong states, “Everyone is welcome to find a location near them and volunteer to help place a wreath. There are lots of locations in MD.” to find your nearest location and help go to https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/About/LocationAndGroupSearch .
If your looking to volunteer at Cheltenham Cemetery go to https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/14854/Overview/?relatedId=0
To sponsor a wreath and support Pack 1792 directly go to https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/174200/Overview/?relatedId=0
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the 12 days of Christmas ends sometime in january.