Biddeford Cemeteries Announced as Locations for 2020 National Wreaths Across America Day
COLUMBIA FALLS and BIDDEFORD, Maine (October 20, 2020) – Biddeford-based trucking company Brown Dog Carriers & Logistics and national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) are teaming up to bring National Wreaths Across America Day to Biddeford, Maine this December to remember the nation’s fallen, honor their service, and teach the next generation about the sacrifices made for us to live free.
Brown Dog carriers Truck at Arlington National Cemetery - 2019
As the first year that Biddeford cemeteries will be participating in this national event, four cemeteries have joined as official wreath-laying locations for 2020: St. Mary Cemetery, St. Joseph Cemetery, St. Demetrios Cemetery, and Woodlawn Cemetery. To kickstart the campaign, Brown Dog Carriers & Logistics has pledged $10,500 toward the goal of raising $37,200 to place 2,480 wreaths on the headstones of veterans laid to rest in the four participating cemeteries.
Wreaths Across America started as a simple gesture of thanks that has grown into a national movement of dedicated volunteers and communities coming together in patriotic commemoration and remembrance. This year, there will be more than 2,100 locations nationwide placing wreaths on National Wreaths Across America Day – Saturday, December 19, 2020 – with more than two million volunteers coming together. National Wreaths Across America Day is a free, non-political, community event open to all people.
To ensure the safety of all who attend and participate, WAA and local organizers are actively monitoring the requirements set forth by public health officials regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, including mask mandates and outdoor gathering limits, and will make all necessary modifications to ceremony plans and laying of veteran wreaths.
“We are forever grateful for the thousands of supporters who dedicate their time and effort to fulfilling our mission on a local level,” said Karen Worcester, executive director, Wreaths Across America. “These individuals and their communities know the value of remembering the fallen, honoring those who currently serve and teaching the next generation about the sacrifices made for our freedom every day, and without their continued support, Wreaths Across America would not exist.”
Community sponsors to-date include Nadeau’s Deli & Variety, Volk Packaging, Rousseau Insurance, and Camden National Bank. Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are still available by contacting Graig Morin at gmorin@browndogcarriers.com / (207) 294-2075 or visiting www.browndogcarriers.com/wreaths. Individuals interested in sponsoring a wreath may do so online by visiting:
· St. Mary Cemetery Wreaths Across America Page
· St. Joseph Cemetery Wreaths Across America Page
About Wreaths Across America
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond. For more information, to sponsor wreaths or to sign up to volunteer, please visit www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org.