PORTLAND, Maine — What started with a Maine wreath maker’s simple gesture of shipping excess wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery two decades ago continues to grow with wreaths being shipped to more than 800 locations to honor the military’s fallen men and women this holiday season.
A convoy of trucks departs Sunday from Worcester Wreath Co. in the eastern town of Harrington with balsam wreaths, 100,000 of which will be displayed on headstones in Arlington. All told, 406,000 wreaths will be shipped to locations across the country, and abroad.
The tradition all began when Morrill Worcester ended up with 5,000 extra wreaths that he couldn’t bring to market in 1992. With the help of Sen. Olympia Snowe, he had them delivered to Arlington.
“We did it once because we thought it would be nice. We did from then forward because we thought it was the right thing to do,” said his wife, Karen Worcester, who’s executive director of Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization created to oversee distribution of the wreaths.
The wreath tradition carried on in relative anonymity for more than a decade until photos of balsam wreaths with red bows in the snow-covered cemetery circulated online. Soon, hundreds of donors sought out Worcester, and community leaders sought out wreaths for their cemeteries.
Based in Columbia Falls, Wreaths Across America now has a $6 million budget funded through donations from groups and individuals and through corporate sponsorships, and truckers and carriers donate their services to help distribute the wreaths, Karen Worcester said.
Morrill Worcester is donating 30,000 wreaths to the effort this year. The rest are supplied by his company, accounting for roughly half of his business.
Snowe, R-Maine, said she’s honored to have helped get the program going in 1992, and she praised the Worcesters for their efforts to keep it going.
“Their noble proposal has evolved into a venerable and nationally renowned celebration of veterans, and it is their enduring commitment and unflagging leadership that is responsible the program’s resounding success,” she said.
The inspiration for shipping the wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery had its origins in Morrill Worcester’s trip to the cemetery when he was boy.
The cemetery, which is the final resting place for more than 400,000 active duty service members, veterans and their families and contains the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and other memorials, left a lasting impression on the 12-year-old paper boy from eastern Maine.
“We’re fortunate because of what the veterans have done for us,” said Worcester, who never served in the military himself. “I don’t know where it’ll all end.”
Won’t be long before the Athiests try to stop this as they will say that wreaths signify Christmas which is a Christian celebration and that wreaths could be being placed on graves of non-belivers. Of course the liberal left 9th Circut Court in San Francisco will support this. I applaud the Worcesters in their endeavors and feel bad for what I am sure will happen.
The history of wreaths predates Christianity and goes back to Etruscan times in the Middle East. Pagans also are associated with all different kinds of wreaths. They are beautiful and even though I am not a Christian, nor do I celebrate Christmas, I love having wreaths and boughs around the house this time of year. I also appluad the Worcesters for this gesture, and yes I support other veterans causes and legislation.
Absolutely pathetic little mind!
My suspicion is that there are a good many military and veteran’s families that could use some food and heating assistance … it is a shame this paper, and many other media outlets, offer free advertising for Worcester Wreath so that they may rake in money to line their pockets under the guise of being philanthropic. I hope that soon this ruse will end. I will continue to donate to true veteran causes and will hope the readers will do the same.
You must lead a sorry life.
I sometimes have to get things in some order, it appears, that, Karen Worcester is in charge of, collecting donations, the buying and distribution of Wreaths across America, they, her and her husband donate 30,000, and the company, Worchester Wreath, gets paid for the other 370,000, which come from Worcester Wreath, paid for by Wreaths across America. The trucking and labor are all donated. Who gets to clean up the mess, after the hysteria is over?? I am a veteran, and support veterans causes, but it seems this has turned from a volunteer and noble cause, to a rather lucrative, captive market for Worchester Wreath.
Then by all means do not get involved. Stay in your bedroom and knock the effort. We’re known by the company we keep, and as a volunteer, I prefer not to be associated with you.
Beautiful tradition.
Nice work
I believe the Governor, his wife Ann and their two children will be heading to Arlington this year as well. The governor discussed this in his weekly address. How convenient that the press left this fact out of the article.