BAY PINES, Fla. – Two of the Bay Area’s largest national cemeteries, Sarasota National Cemetery and Bay Pines National Cemetery, may not have enough wreaths to honor every veteran this holiday season.
Organizers said Sarasota is less than halfway to its goal, and Bay Pines sits at under 25%, with only 13% of the 35,000 needed wreaths sponsored so far. Each wreath costs $17, and the deadline to sponsor one is end of day Sunday.
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The backstory:
For more than 30 years, Wreaths Across America Day has brought comfort and tradition to military families. The yearly ceremony ensures every fallen service member buried in a national cemetery is honored with a wreath symbolizing remembrance and gratitude.
For volunteer coordinator Ronalee Klase, the effort is personal. Her brother Billy, who is a Vietnam War veteran, is buried at Bay Pines. She’s spent 12 years helping lead the cemetery’s Wreaths Across America program through her work with the Civil Air Patrol.
Klase said the challenge of finding thousands of sponsors is nothing new, but this year’s shortage is especially steep.
What they’re saying:
Klase said wreath-laying often gets overshadowed by other patriotic holidays: “They put the flags out for Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Somehow, Wreaths Across America just kind of gets waylaid.”
Seeing so many headstones without wreaths is difficult, she added, “We’re supposed to be honoring these men and women, and we’re not.”
Timeline:
Wreaths Across America ceremonies take place nationwide n December 13. Bay Pines’ ceremony will include a guest speaker, veterans representing each branch of service, and a final wreath placed in honor of POWs and MIAs.
Before that, local volunteers, many paying their own way, will travel to Maine to retrieve the wreaths and truck them back to the Bay Area.
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What you can do:
The organization is hoping for a last-minute surge in sponsorships before Sunday’s deadline. Without it, thousands of grave sites in the Bay Area could remain undecorated this year.
To sponsor a wreath at Bay Pines, click here. To become a wreath sponsor at Sarasota National Cemetery, click here.
The Source: This article is based on reporting from FOX 13’s Jennifer Kveglis and interviews with Wreaths Across America volunteers, including Bay Pines coordinator Ronalee Klase.