American Legion Auxiliary Unit 55 and the Clermont Battalion Sea Cadets, along with other nonprofit organizations, business sponsors and individuals, have launched efforts to collect and place live balsam Remembrance Wreaths on the graves of all veterans at the Oak Hill Cemetery Clermont Florida, Minneola Cemetery and the Montverde Cemetery.
They hope to collect enough wreaths for 550 grave sites and columbariums and to place them on National Wreaths Across America Day on Saturday, December 15th, according to Trish Gardner, the local Wreaths Across America Location Coordinator. Volunteers will gather at 10:45 am with the wreath laying to begin at 11 a.m. and the ceremony at 11:35 am at Oak Hill Cemetery 945 East Ave Clermont, FL
Clermont Batallion Sea Cadets, Boy Scout Troop 551 and local Veterans will participate in the ceremony. The Clermont Batallion Sea Cadets and Boy Scout troop 551 will present the colors, local Veterans will lay the 7 ceremonial wreaths designating each branch of the Service and our MIAs and POWs.
Ms. Gardner urges everyone to honor a Veteran by sponsoring a wreath — or two or three. “To date, more than 150 wreaths have been purchased,” she said Tuesday. Each wreath costs $15.
To sponsor a wreath you can go to www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/FL0236P Scroll down to the bottom of the page and pick which cemetery where you would like your sponsored wreath to be placed. Volunteers are also needed to help place the wreaths.
You can also donate by check, made out to Wreaths Across America, and drop it at the American Legion Post 55 in Clermont.
Wreaths Across America began in 1992, when Morrill Worcester, founder of Worcester Wreath Co., shipped a surplus of 5,000 wreaths from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery. Last year in over 1400 locations across the World, over1 million volunteers, placed over 1.5 million Remembrance Wreaths. Won’t you help us to honor all our Hometown Heroes this year??
For information, or to volunteer, contact: Trish Gardner tagimit66@gmail.com or stop by the American Legion Post 55 756 West Ave in downtown Clermont
