Volunteers and sponsors are being sought for the local observance of Wreaths Across America, which remembers sacrifices veterans have made in wars since the American Revolution.
Wreaths Across America takes place locally Saturday, Dec. 18, at Hilldale Cemetery in Haverhill. Organizer Tammy Dobrosielski says, however, he deadline, for sponsoring wreaths is Tuesday, Nov. 30
“The three tenets of Wreaths Across America are remember, honor, teach. So, we remember those veterans who have served and are now departed, and we honor those who are currently serving and we teach the younger generation, as well as each other in many cases, the value of our freedoms and the cost of those freedoms. It’s a great program and it’s not just a single event, it’s a year-round undertaking really. The wreaths are sponsored at $15 apiece through our website, or I can arrange for people if they want to do cash or check as well,” she says.
Dobrosielski, a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, is a physical therapist in the Pentucket Regional School District, and talked about the educational portion of the project.
“I completed an activity with one of my groups where we created cards for veterans for Veterans Day and one of our local vets, Donnie Jarvis, whom I sure you know, took those cards to Washington, D.C., to hand out. So, that was a really big event for the kids. They really enjoyed doing that, and I’m proud to say that the two second graders in my group were the only second graders who could tell their teacher what Veterans Day was all about,” Dobrosielski adds.
She went on to say, for some students, it was the first time they had ever heard about veterans.
“Some of them have never heard what a veteran actually is. It varies widely. We have a couple of students in the group who have family members who are veterans. They understand more, once we do these activities, why they need to appreciate the service of our veterans, and people who are serving now as well. We try not to talk too much about the war aspect of it, if you will, with the younger ones anyway, but they understand the service, and they ask me now ‘What can we do for our veterans?’ which is great.”
Wreaths Across American is celebrated worldwide Dec. 18. Last year, 1.5 million wreaths were laid at veterans’ graves. Dobrosielski says wreath sponsors are needed for the ceremony at Haverhill’s Hilldale Cemetery. There’s sponsorship information and volunteer sign-ups at HilldaleWreaths.com.
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