An image from a past event.
DERBY – A veterans group is seeking the public’s help to honor service men and women by having wreaths placed at their graves.
The Catholic War Veterans St. Michael’s Post and Auxiliary1562 is again participating in the national Wreaths Across America project and hopes to sell enough wreaths this year to place at every veteran’s grave at St. Michael’s cemetery.
“Our goal is to sell enough wreaths to adorn all 820 veterans that are buried in St. Michael’s Cemetery,” said Kathy Radin, the chairperson for CWV St. Michael’s Post and Auxiliary 1562’s Wreaths Across America committee.
Radin said wreath sales are happening now until Nov. 28. She said people can purchase fresh balsam wreaths online, as well as via a QR code on flyers the Post has circulated throughout the Valley.
The wreaths sell for $17 each. They will be delivered to St. Michael’s Post 1562 the week of Dec. 10. Radin said the Post members and volunteers will then bring the wreaths to St. Michael’s Cemetery, where they’ll be placed at the graves of veterans.
Then, on Dec. 16, a Wreaths Across America tribute ceremony will be held at noon at St. Michael’s Cemetery, located at Silver Hill Road. Radin said local dignitaries from the Valley towns have all been invited.
The event’s keynote speaker will be former Derby Police Chief and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Andrew Cota. A 1966 graduate of Derby High School, Cota served in the Marines from 1966 to 1970 and was honorably discharged, according to Radin.
Radin said she’s proud the Post is participating in the national project again.
“The CWV St Michaels Post 1562 got involved with Wreaths Across America in 2020,” Radin said. “This is our fourth year participating in this program that was started by a family in Maine in 1992 and was a quiet tribute to the veterans in the Arlington Cemetery.”
In 2007, Wreaths Across American was officially formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Radin said.
Wreaths Across America’s mission, according to its website is: Remember the fallen, Honor those who serve and Teach the next generation the value of freedom.
Radin said the wreaths’ project is an especially meaningful cause she hopes Valley residents can get behind.
“It is so important that we remember the veterans that signed a blank check to the United States and were willing to sacrifice their lives to allow us to live with the freedom that we have,” Radin said. “I think that our veterans should be remembered and honored and thanked for their service.”
In 2022, Wreaths Across America and its national network of volunteers placed more than 2.7 million sponsored veterans’ wreaths on headstones of the nation’s service members at 3,702 participating locations, according to the website. This was accomplished with the support of more than 5,000 sponsorship groups, corporation contributions and in-kind donations from the transportation industry across the country.
To purchase a wreath to be placed on veterans’ graves right here in the Valley, visit the Wreaths Across America website.
Once on the website, search ‘locations’ and find St. Michael’s Cemetery, Derby, to fill out a form and make a purchase. Wreaths can also be purchased using the QR code on the flyer shown below:
Point your phone at the QR code for more info.
