Wreaths Across America seeking help at Sarasota National Cemetery

The Wreaths Across America program plans to decorate 13,500 grave sites at Sarasota National Cemetery this December. The program recently lost a major sponsor and is at 56 percent of its goal.

The deadline for collections is Dec. 3, said local program chair Meshia Richardson.

Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, the mission to remember, honor and teach is carried out with wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, and more than 1,400 other locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad.

This year’s Remembrance Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Dec. 15 at Patriot Plaza to remember veterans’ lives, honor their service and their sacrifice and teach younger generations the importance of freedom, Richardson said.

Patriot Plaza is a 2,800-seat ceremonial amphitheater at Sarasota National Cemetery featuring commissioned art that honors veterans, inspires patriotism, and embraces freedom. Patriot Plaza was commissioned by the Patterson Foundation.

Donations to the local wreath program can be made at www.sarasotawreaths.com.

For more information, call 941-448-6299.

This story was originally published November 16, 2018 at 10:37 AM.