In conjunction with the National Remembrance Day Ceremony held each December, Wreaths Across America is an annual project to honor and mark veteran’s graves of all wars and conflicts. Wreaths are placed on graves by volunteers at Arlington National Cemetery, Normandy Beach, each State House and all State, National and participating local cemeteries. The Colorado River Chapter 2655, United Daughters of the Confederacy is actively sponsoring Wreaths Across America again this year. The chapter, serving a five county area including San Saba, Mills, Brown, McCulloch and Lampasas, will concentrate their efforts this year on San Saba County Cemetery, Greenleaf Cemetery in Brown Co. and Goldthwaite Memorial Cemetery.Each year Worcester Wreath Company donates 5,000 wreaths for placement on the graves at Arlington National Cemetery. The project started with the devotion of one man. Morrill Worcester owns the company, a business in Maine which makes Christmas wreaths and decorations. He was inspired at the early age of 12 years old, when he won a trip to the Nation’s Capital. It was a trip he would never forget. Later in life, Mr. Worcester recognized that his success as a businessman was in large part, due to the values of this Nation and the Veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. In 1992, the company found themselves with an excess of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season. Seeing an opportunity to make a boyhood dream a reality, efforts to do something special with those wreaths began in earnest. Arrangements were made for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older sections of the cemetery, a section which received fewer visitors with each passing year. It was an obscure annual occurrence until 2005 when a photo of the military tombstones adorned with the wreaths and covered in snow circulated on the internet, giving the project national attention. Thousands of requests poured in from all over the country from people wanting to emulate the Arlington project at their national, state and local cemeteries. Wreaths Across America has grown quickly to encompass over 500 participating locations and over 160,000 volunteers around the Country. Their mission is to Remember, Honor, and Teach. Remember the fallen, Honor those who serve including their families who sacrifice, and Teach our children the cost of the freedoms we enjoy each day.To sponsor a wreath, please contact your Location Leader, Rosemary Cox at 325-372-4190. The wreaths are $15 each, made from high quality Maine balsam, adorned with a hand-tied red bow. The deadline for ordering is November 15th. If you wish to order online with a credit card, you are invited to go to the Wreaths Across America website. Please use the Group ID (TXUDC2655) and Cemetery ID (TXSNSC) so the local chapter will receive the $5 profit for the scholarship fund. If not, the monies will go to the WAA general fund. Orders may be grave specific in San Saba Cemetery or a donation for any veteran. You are invited to purchase wreaths for veterans to be placed in other cemeteries; however, you must arrange to pick up and place the wreaths yourself as our volunteers are limited.This project is also designated as a fundraiser to benefit the chapter scholarship fund. We thank the many local businesses, many supportive individuals and those who went online whom are unknown, and all who participated last year. Our total amount of wreaths sold last year was 226. We gave the chapter’s first scholarship award due to your generosity and we thank you.