CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 What began as a small circle of caregivers has grown into a tight-knit group of women who spend each holiday season honoring Coastal Bend veterans \u2014 one handmade wreath at a time.<\/p>\n
Las Chulas en Rojo honor veterans with handmade holiday wreaths<\/p>\n
They call themselves Las Chulas en Rojo, a group made up of nine widows and several caregivers who craft wreaths and bows for the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery. Their work has become a tradition of remembrance, love, and community.<\/p>\n
Among the familiar faces was newcomer Nancy Kohn, who joined the group for the first time this year. Her husband was laid to rest in the cemetery\u2019s columbarium in September \u2014 and this will be the first year he receives a mini wreath.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been waiting months for this,\u201d Kohn said. \u201cMy husband is on the wall. We just put him there in September.\u201d<\/p>\n
As one team assembled 125 small wreaths \u2014 each with a backing designed to stay secured on the wall \u2014 another group worked on cutting ribbon and hand-tying bows.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it looks bad, we\u2019re going to make a new bow,\u201d said member Clara Lopez. \u201cOur veterans deserve something pretty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond creating new wreaths, the group will also sort through about 800 wreaths saved from last year to see which can be used again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like bookkeeping,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cYou have to keep up with everything to know what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Kohn, the work is healing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just thankful to be able to be here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Las Chulas en Rojo is open to more than surviving spouses. Ann Kolasinski, a caregiver, says she volunteers to honor her husband, who has been bedridden for three years due to complications from Agent Orange exposure. He broke his leg in boot camp and was sent to Vietnam just weeks later.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tell him, \u2018I love you. You\u2019re my life. You saved me and the boys. And now it\u2019s my turn to take care of you,\u2019\u201d Kolasinski said.<\/p>\n
That same love, they say, goes into every wreath.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always something you can do to make life a little bit easier,\u201d Lopez added. \u201cEven if you lose your loved one or still have them alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kohn hopes each wreath offers comfort.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pray that whoever in the family sees it will be blessed \u2014 and they will know they are not alone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Las Chulas en Rojo says extra hands are always welcome \u2014 whether you\u2019re a surviving spouse, a caregiver, or simply someone who wants to support veterans and their families.<\/p>\n
The group will place the wreaths at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery on Dec. 13.<\/p>\n
Their next workshop will be on Dec 5 at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n