This installment of the Wreaths Across America Newsletter will focus on the memorable events from this year’s wreath-laying ceremonies. We are receiving photos, video, and stories from all over the Country. Both the emotion and sheer volume of material to share is a bit overwhelming! We have also received a tremendous amount of feedback about this year’s events, that we are using to make 2007 even better! We are working hard to incorporate these suggestions, requests, and recommendations into a year-long campaign that will culminate next December.

So please be patient with us as we are preparing the pages and pages of information about each and every participating location (there are 218 locations nation-wide this year alone!). We have lots to share and new announcements too! In the meantime, we thought we would share just a taste of the news coverage from 2006 – Enjoy!

At the end of the day in Arlington, after all the wreaths were laid out in sections 3,11, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – Morrill and Karen were invited to the Fox News Studios in Washington for an interview with Chris Wallace. To their surprise, they and the Wreaths Across America project the ‘Power Player of the Week’. For more info (click on Other Features section)

2006 was a breakthrough year for Worcester Wreath Company and its inovolvement with the Arlington Wreath Project. For fifteen years over 5000 years are donated each year to Arlington and now, additional sites across the Nation. Worcester Wreath Company however is a commercial operation, and limited in some ways in its ability to fully realize the mission to ‘remember, honor, and teach’.

With the desire of volunteers to participate all around the country, and with a vision to raise the recognition of Veterans and the sacrifices freely given, Wreaths Across America is being incorporated into a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation.

Worcester Wreath has made a commitment to continue its support of the Arlington Project and will continue its role doing what it does best – creation of fresh Maine wreaths. But with the introduction of Wreaths Across America in its official role as an advocate and ambassador of the ‘remember, honor, and teach’ message, we believe that more can be done than ever before.

Highlights in the coming months will include: *Naming a Board of Trustees for guidance and representation
*Expansion of the wreath-laying program, both in number of participating locations and number of wreaths to each location, making it more like what we see at Arlington each year – but at sites all across the country.
*Addition of veterans cemeteries and monuments on foreign soil
*Educational outreach to schools and children to communicate the fact that our freedoms today have been purchased at a great expense.
*And lastly, outreach to veterans themselves to see what kind of role Wreaths Across America can assume as a champion of veterans’ issues.

We are super excited in making this announcement. There is a ton of work to be done in preparation of the 2007 wreath-laying and fulfillment of the vision. We appreciate your continued support and interest in **Wreaths Across America.

Again we want say THANK YOU to everyone who helped make the 2006 campaign such a success. If you are interested in getting involved in 2007, we hope you will contact us!

Regards,

Tobin Slaven Wreaths Across America Writer and Spokesperson