HOULTON, Maine – The Houlton High School Wreaths Across America project is far from its sponsorship goal of 1,000 wreaths to honor the area’s fallen veterans at a December wreath laying ceremony in December.
With the sponsorship deadline of Nov. 28 looming and only 66 sponsored wreaths, organizers are hoping more will commit to the $17 sponsorship during the last seven days.
“There are 1,000 veterans in Evergreen Cemetery in Houlton, so our goal each year is to place a wreath on all the graves,” Kristin Supa, Evergreen Cemetery Wreaths Across America site coordinator and Houlton High School social studies teacher.
This is the third year for the local event. There were 150 sponsored wreaths in 2021 and 675 last year.
“This year we are so incredibly shy of our goal right now,” Supa said. “I know we only have one more week but I was really hoping to get more.”
Wreaths Across America was started by Morrill Worcester, the owner of the Worcester Wreath Company, of Harrington, Maine. In 1992, Worcester and his wife Karen had surplus wreaths near the end of the holiday season, and so they made arrangements to have the wreaths placed on veteran graves in Arlington, a location Worcester never forgot after winning a trip to Washington D.C. as a 12-year-old paper boy for the Bangor Daily News.
The Worcesters continued the annual wreath laying in Arlington and other cemeteries to honor veterans. But it wasn’t until a photo of the wreaths on headstones in the national cemetery garnered national attention in 2005 did it gain more support. And in 2007, Worcester founded Wreaths Across America.
Houlton High School is also registered as a fundraising group and for every sponsored wreath, they will get $5 that will go to the Rotary youth group Interact, Supa said.
It is $17 to sponsor a wreath either online or in person.
There is an RSU 29 website and Facebook page link and cash or check donations be can be dropped off at the school.
Additionally, Supa will be at the Houlton weekend craft fair on Friday and Saturday at the Houlton Rec Center, she said.
At noon Dec. 16, there will be a ceremony at Evergreen Cemetery in Houlton to honor the fallen veterans. There will be a wreath placement ceremony immediately following, Supa said.
