Dear Michael Barbour,
On behalf of the Wreaths Across America organization and our family of volunteers and supporters across the country, we want to thank YOU for your support of the Mission to Remember the fallen, Honor those that serve and their families, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom. As Wreaths Across America founder Morrill Worcester told the audience at our recent Appreciation Rally "we've just barely scratched the surface" of honoring every veteran as they so deserve, but we have done so much and touched so many lives, and we could not have done any of it without your support.
During this year's National Wreaths Across America observance, more than two million dedicated volunteers placed more than 2.4 million veterans' wreaths at 3,136 participating locations across the country. At Arlington National Cemetery specifically, the Wreaths Across America program saw 66 tractor-trailers deliver over 250,000 veterans' wreaths that were placed by nearly 38,000 volunteers, many of whom were children, some participating for the very first time.
As I think of those numbers, each of those gravesites, and each of those volunteers saying the servicemember's name out loud and sharing a small gesture of gratitude for the freedoms Americans enjoy, I am immensely humbled. I am also truly overwhelmed with pride for the people of this great nation where so many individuals and communities can come together in unity and support for those who have protected our freedom. I will say it again: THANK YOU. Thank you for your time and your efforts, your sponsorships, and your help in sharing the word. Thank you most of all for taking the time during this busy season to join us in letting veterans and military families know that their service and sacrifice is both seen and appreciated and that they are not alone in their loss.
Remember. Honor. Teach.
With gratitude,
Karen Worcester
Executive Director
Wreaths Across America
