If You Want to Honor More Than 1,500 Veterans – You’ve Got To Start Early

If you want to raise enough money to put a wreath on 1,500 graves, you. gotta start early.

It’s about to get hot – but the local folks who participate in fundraising for Wreaths Across America started their fundraising early this year to ensure every veteran’s gravesite at Sunset Cemetary in Valparaiso has a wreath on it for the holiday season.

The fundraisers want to raise at least $25,500 to cover the costs of putting wreaths on all 1,500 veterans’ graves this year.

They will need to raise the money before December 14, 2024 – the day of their wreath-laying ceremony.

The first of their events will take place during the Northwest Florida Heritage Museum’s Saturday in the Park at Perrine Park in Valparaiso.

The event will take place on April 27, 2024 (Saturday), from 10 AM to 4 PM.

You can also donate to Wreaths Across America for our area, such as the Heritage Gardens Cemetery in Niceville and Sunset Cemetery in Valparaiso.

More About Wreaths Across America

Wreaths Across America started in 2007, but their story begins 25 years before that. In 1992, Maine resident and wreath maker Morrill Worcester had an additional 5,000 wreaths during the holiday season. He saw the surplus as an opportunity to recognize the dead veterans in cemeteries across the nation. With the help of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, Worcester got the wreaths laid at gravesites in Arlington National Cemetary.

The United States Congress now recognizes the second Saturday in December as Wreaths Across America Day in the United States.