Interesting Stories and Introducing Our New
Wreaths Across America 'High Five'

It is called our Wreaths Across America 'High Five' and it is 5 questions asked of one of our participating Location Leaders - to help us get to know the people and the places involved with remembering veterans all across the Country.

But first, check out how Michigan native and Civil Air Patrol Cadet Kayleigh Fountain honored veterans in her home state and at Arlington this year.

12-Year Old Kayleigh Fountain
Wins National Sponsorship Contest

I had the good fortune of sitting down with Kayleigh and her mom Lisa on Saturday evening after the events at Arlington. Here is a little more background on this amazing young lady.

Kayleigh is Cadet Staff Sergeant with the Rochester Oakland Composite Squadron, Michigan Wing. Her 438 sponsorships made her the top producing cadet in the Nation, with sponsorships from over 100 different groups and individuals. She made about 25 presentations to groups, clubs, and organizations about the Wreaths Across America events.

Kayleigh received a lot of family support along the way - particularly from an older sibling - also CAP cadet - and her mother who plays an active leadership role in the squadron. According to Lisa Fountain, "It was a real pleasure to watch her grow and gain confidence with each and every presentation she made."

Kudos and congratulations to Kayleigh for all her hard work, and to all the cadets nationwide who helped spread the word with sponsorships this past year!

Wreaths Across America First Ever 'High Five'

So each issue we will give our 'High Five' by sharing 5 revealing questions and answers that will give everyone a chance to get to know the story behind the Wreaths Across America story.

With over 286 participating locations in 2007, it can be hard choice however with so many locations and leaders deserving of recognition. This month we will begin our series with Arlington National Cemetery - our largest and longest standing location for the wreath laying event. The following questions were answered by Wayne Hanson of the Maine State Society:

1. Can you tell us a little about the Maine State Society?

The organization which is known today as the Maine State Society of Washington, DC, actually evolved from an organization known as the “Maine State Association” which was founded in 1894 by a band of "displaced" Mainers living in the Washington, DC area. The purpose of the “Association” was to maintain a home away from home to provide a little touch of Maine for Mainers in the national capital area, keep alive a sense of roots, and boost the image of the State of Maine.

Being nonpolitical, non-governmental and not-for-profit, the Society is a 100% volunteer organization. You are eligible to join the Society if you have been a resident of Maine or have Maine educational or business related connections to Maine.

Always ready to lend a helping hand, since 1992, Society members have volunteered each December to help place thousands of Maine balsam fir wreaths donated by Morrill Worcester, president of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, ME, on selected graves at Arlington National Cemetery; at the Battleship USS Maine memorial; the Tomb of the Unknowns; the grave of the late Governor, Senator and Secretary of State Edmund S. Muskie, and at the John and Robert Kennedy memorials at Arlington.

When the Society began to help with the placement of the wreaths at Arlington in 1992, only a handful of members were present. They joined with Morrill’s people who had driven down with the wreaths, some Maine congressional staffers, and a few VFW and American Legion veterans to place approximately 5,000 wreaths which took several hours to accomplish.

The next year, the Society became more actively involved in the project and began to publicize the event with news releases sent to local news media and word of mouth. This resulted in a few more Society and veterans’ group volunteers showing up to help. Visitor to Arlington began to ask questions about the wreaths and who had placed them. This resulted in more and more people contacting the Society to become involved in the annual event. Subsequently, as more and more people became involved and told others of the project and through various news articles and local media coverage, each year the number of volunteers have grown from 10-15 the first year, to almost 3,000 volunteers in 2007.

Probably the one thing that brought more awareness to the Arlington Wreath Project was a photograph of the wreaths surrounded by snow taken by Air Force Master Sgt. James Varhegyi at the December 2005 wreath project. The photograph, along with a short poem, was e-mailed to some of his friends who sent it to their friends, who sent it to their friends, etc., until the photograph literally went around the world. That one e-mail probably brought more attention to the Arlington Wreath Project than all the news releases ever issued. Based on the attention generated by the photograph, in December 2006, we had news media coverage from all over the world at the wreath laying and over 1,000 volunteers to help place the wreaths. Again, those who volunteered in 2006 told more of their family and friends which resulted in more and more people wanting to help. So during the December 2007 wreath project, we had almost 3,000 volunteers present to help.

3. What are some of the highlights over the years?

Since I personally became involved with the Arlington Wreath Project in 1993, one of my many highlights would have to be in 2003, when I had the privilege of taking part in the actual wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns that year. That will be something I will never forget. Other highlights would include seeing how each year brings more and more people, especially the increase in young families, who volunteer their time to help with this tribute to our fallen American Heroes. Some of the volunteers come from great distances just to participate in laying the wreaths. We have people from California and Florida and all points in between who come to help. Of course, probably the most poignant highlight for me was in 2006 when my wife and I, while searching out specific grave sites to place a wreath on for the Maine Civil Air Patrol cadets that year, came across Lisa Doring who had been waiting all day for a Worcester Wreath for her husband’s grave. (Editors note: – You can read more about this moment in Issue #10 September WAA Newsletter available on the website). Of course, I would be remiss if I did not mention the highlight of receiving, on behalf of the Society, the exceptional Recognition Statue from Morrill and Karen this last December.

I would have to say that the success of the Arlington Wreath Project lays with all the volunteers themselves. Over the last 16 years the number of volunteers has grown from a handful of 10-15 people to almost 3,000 last year. These volunteers come from many varied sources - the Society, the general public, active and retired military personnel, congressional staffers, veterans’ organizations, school groups, scout troops, civic groups, firefighters, and religious groups to name but a few. The success of the project grows proportionally as the number of volunteers also increases. Everyone involved at Arlington goes home with a totally new respect for those who have served this country, especially for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy everyday.

It has only been the last two years that the Society has coordinated the cleanup of the wreaths at Arlington. In 2005 I took over as the Society’s coordinator for the Arlington Wreath Project from Hugh Dwelley, who had championed the effort for all the previous years. 2005 was a learning year for me as the coordinator during which I tried to carry on the traditions established by Hugh. While making final plans for the December 2006 ceremony, I was speaking with John Metzler, the Arlington Cemetery Superintendent, when he mentioned that picking up all the 5,000 donated wreaths each year was a sizable task for his limited grounds crew. I advised Metzler that, if is was permissible, I would try to gather a group of volunteers to return to Arlington in late January or early February to remove the wreaths we placed in December. He seemed pleased with the offer and said he would help by having dumpsters available to place the wreaths in. I put out an e-mail notice to all of the people I had on my wreath e-mail list seeking support for the cleanup. Amazingly, I began to receive back all kinds of responses from people wanting to help. Some offers of help came from people who hadn’t even had an opportunity to help place any wreaths, but they still wanted to help with the cleanup.

A cleanup date was established for early February and we had about a hundred or so people show up. The wreaths were collected and placed in the dumpsters in less than 2 hours. I did the same for 2007 when we had over 10,000 donated wreaths to pick up and we had over 300-400 volunteers show up for the cleanup. It took them only an hour and half to clear away all 10,000 plus wreaths. Even when the wreaths have grown dry and started to brown, they still served a purpose. In a continuing tribute, this year there was a scout troop that requested about 50-75 wreaths from the cleanup to use as a base for a fire for a ceremony the troop holds to properly dispose of worn and torn U.S. Flags the scouts have collected during the year.

5. Tell us something about Wayne Hanson that we might never know...

Well, I don’t know what you want to know, but here goes. I’m not really originally from Maine (I was born in New Hampshire), but if asked where I’m from I proudly respond “from Maine.” I lived in Bangor and/or Hampden, Maine from when I was in the 3rd grade through college.

Growing up in Maine taught me the fundamentals of life and how life should be. I loved the outdoors and all that Maine offered those willing to explore the state. It also taught me that hard work, honesty, and a willingness to help others are the fundamentals of becoming a good person. While attending Bangor High School, I was actively involved in the Junior ROTC Program and had planned to enter the Army as a Underwater Demolition Team expert upon graduation. However, I eventually continued my education by attending the University of Maine at Orono, graduating in 1967 with a BS Degree in Education. While in college I also took advanced ROTC and received my commission as a Regular Army 2nd LT Military Police Officer. At graduation, I was the Cadet Colonel and the ROTC Brigade Commander and received the Charles A. Rice Saber Award as the Outstanding Senior Cadet. Upon graduation for college I served four years in the Regular Army with tours of duty in Massachusetts, Alaska, Viet Nam, and Alabama.

After my military obligation was completed in 1971, I went to work as a Criminal Investigator with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Atlanta, Georgia. I worked for OIG, USDA for 10 years working from offices in Atlanta, Raleigh, NC, New York City, and Washington, DC. In 1982, I transferred to the OIG at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, DC, where I worked until I retired from Federal Government service in February 2002. I am currently married to Ann Ahern Hanson (we will celebrate our 5th Anniversary on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day next month) and have two grown children from a previous marriage.

In my retirement life I enjoy searching for coins and other “buried treasure” with my metal detectors; camping and canoeing; going to craft fairs; researching my family’s history genealogy, and keeping up with my two grandchildren’s scrapbooks. I also remain very active in the Maine State Society in which I have held the office of 1st Vice President prior to being elected President (2003-2005). I currently act as the Society’s Historian keeping up with all the news articles, events, photo albums, files, etc., for the Society, as well as being the Coordinator for the Arlington Wreath Project and the Gettysburg Military Park Maine Civil War sites cleanup Committee. Although I have lived outside of the state of Maine since graduating form college, I maintain my Maine roots through the Society and by returning to Maine each summer to visit with family and friends and to relax at our “camp” located in Hancock which my father built over 30 years ago.

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Recently many of you received a email from our offices asking everyone to pitch in and help us build our subscriber list. We want to encourage people in every community to subscribe because we will be able to share information to build awareness and participation next December.

So please encourage sign-ups by sending friends over to the FREE opt-in page at Wreaths Across America Newsletter .

That's it for this month. Soon I will be collecting information on our next group of 'High Five' locations and I promise some good geographic representation from different parts of the Country. Of course we can't do everyone at once - but be patient and I think you will enjoy hearing from the movers and shakers of our communities all across the Nation.

Highest regards,