The AT&T Pioneers Northeast Council is partnering with the city of North Royalton to participate in the Wreaths Across America this year, including the North Royalton Cemetery as one of the many locations participating across the United States.
Earlier this year, the city of North Royalton got an email from Wreaths Across America to see if they might be interested in participating. Mayor Bob Stefanik asked Council President Larry Antoskiewicz if he would be interested in doing it. Antoskiewicz contacted the Wreaths Across America officials and set up a meeting with the AT&T Pioneer representative on how to proceed. The Wreaths Across America website then set up the North Royalton Cemetery as one of the selected locations.
Wreaths Across America got started in 1992, when Morrill Worcester, owner of the Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine had a surplus of wreaths near the end of the holiday season. He recalled a trip to Washington, D.C. as a child and the impression made by Arlington National Cemetery. He used that opportunity to honor American veterans by making arrangements to have the wreaths placed at Arlington. This went on for several years and in 2005, received national attention, when thousands of requests were received from all over the country to help with Arlington and to emulate the project in their own cemeteries. In 2007, the Worcester family, along with veterans and other groups, formed the organization, Wreaths Across America to continue and expand the effort.
According to the organization, “Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 1,600 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad.” Sponsoring a wreath means honoring an American hero. Each wreath is hand-crafted of all-American balsam and hand-tied with a red velvet bow. The wreaths are made in Columbia Falls, Maine and sent to each location. Last year, two million volunteers participated in the Wreaths Across America, participating at 1,640 locations across the United States. At Arlington Cemetery alone, 61,000 volunteered. More than one third of the volunteers were children.
In North Royalton, the ceremony at the North Royalton Cemetery will begin at noon on Saturday, December 14. The wreath laying will take place directly following the ceremony and will be concluded when the last wreath is laid. The North Royalton Cemetery, located at 6170 Royalton Road, between Ridge and State Roads.
There are 340 veterans resting at the North Royalton Cemetery. The volunteers will place the wreath and stand at the headstone and marker of every Veteran, observe a moment of silence, then speak the name of the Veteran out loud and thank them for their ultimate sacrifice.
Wreath sponsorships are $15 each and can be purchased on line by going to the website www.wreathsacrossamerical.org/OH0202. You can also make a donation by mail. The forms are available at City Hall. At the time of this article, 73 wreaths have been sponsored.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer