Wreaths Across America Ceremony Dec. 14 at Barrancas Big Lagoon Kiwanians accepting sponsorships through Dec. 1

Wreaths Across America Ceremony Dec. 14 at Barrancas
Big Lagoon Kiwanians accepting sponsorships through Dec. 1
The Kiwanis Club of Big Lagoon is again spearheading the local effort to participate in the Wreaths Across America program to remember and honor our fallen veterans. The club is taking orders for wreaths specifically for Barrancas National Cemetery at NAS Pensacola through Dec. 1.
This year’s Wreaths Across America ceremony and placement of wreaths at Barrancas will be on December 14 beginning at 9 a.m. Wreath sponsorships start at $15 and payment can be made online with credit card or by check using the downloadable mail-in order form. You may pick up the wreaths or the Kiwanians and their helpers will place it for you. For more information, email barrancaswreaths@gmail.com, visit barrancaswreaths.com or call 850-207-1217.
“Veterans day is just around the corner. Take this opportunity to demonstrate your organizations gratitude for the sacrifices made by veterans,’’ said Martin Haygood, a volunteer coordinator with the Kiwanis Club. “We ask that people pease give generously and encourage others to give. Last year we only had about 12,000 wreaths for the 40,000 plus gravesites.’’
The Big Lagoon Kiwanis, with help from the Bailey Middle School Builder’s Club and the K-Kids Club, along with several other local area non-profits, will place the wreaths at veterans’ head stones to honor veterans and provide an excellent opportunity to teach younger generations about the value of their freedoms and the importance of honoring those who sacrificed so much to protect those freedoms.
As Haygood noted, 12,000 wreaths placed at Barrancas is inspiring, but it still leaves many grave sites unadorned.
In 1992, 5,000 wreaths were donated by Morrill Worcester and Worcester WreathCo. Years later, in 2005, an iconic photo of these wreaths in snow (pictured) became a viral sensation. Finally, in 2007, Wreaths Across America is formed as a nonprofit governed by a Board of Directors. Their day-to-day operations are overseen by Executive Director Karen Worcester.
WAA’s mission is carried out by coordinating ceremonies at Arlington, as well as veterans’ cemeteries in all 50 states. The organization has since expanded to include over 1,000 local charity groups that represent more than 800 cemeteries, military memorials, and other locations. In 2008, and each year since, Congress has issued a proclamation officially recognizing “Wreaths Across America Day” each December.