On Saturday, Dec. 14 at noon, volunteers held a short ceremony before placing 360 wreaths on the graves of veterans in the Pentwater Township Cemetery. The event was one of many carrying out the mission of Wreaths Across America: to remember the fallen, honor those who serve, and teach the value of freedom. Their efforts were repeated in cemeteries across the nation, including 77 locations in Michigan. This tradition of honoring and remembering has even reached into Europe in cemeteries where American WWII veterans are interred.
Becoming a participating cemetery in Wreaths Across America is a long process. “We started the process nine months before our inaugural event,” Township Supervisor Lynne Cavazos said. “After our acceptance, more extensive and time-consuming work followed. Shannon Larson (chair, Friends of Pentwater Township Cemetery, and member of the Michigan Dunes Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution) spent countless hours scouring cemetery records to locate the graves of every veteran. Then she and other members of the Friends of Pentwater Township Cemetery went to each gravesite and marked each with a flag to enable the volunteers on Dec. 14 to find those graves easily. Some graves had large stones or monuments, while others had only small flat markers and would have been especially challenging to find in the snow.”
As many know, parking spots at the cemetery are sparse, and parking on the side of the road is risky. Snow further complicated these matters. So, volunteers were instructed to park at the VFW facility a short distance north of the cemetery. From that location a bus provided by Pentwater Public School shuttled them to the cemetery and later brought them back to their cars. There were volunteers of all ages and varying abilities, including some who came off the bus using walkers. Melissa Grondsma reported, “There were several students from Pentwater Public Schools who participated as part of their community service. Pentwater teacher Kelly Sisung encouraged student support and used the opportunity as a teachable moment. Wreaths Across America provides educational material.”
Cavazos estimated there were 93 volunteers who arrived by way of the shuttle bus. Some had personal reasons to visit particular graves, while others distributed the wreaths to honor veterans who were strangers to them. Cavazos shared, “Volunteers were instructed at each site to simply say, ‘Thank you for your service,’ and add the veteran’s name while placing the wreath on the site.” The wreaths were made with live greens and decorated with a single red bow. Their journey began in the state of Maine, where millions of them were constructed and packed into tall, hexagon-shaped cardboard boxes. The boxes were loaded onto semi-trucks and delivered across the nation by trucking companies that had volunteered their services for the task. The wreaths were delivered to Pentwater Township Cemetery one week before the December 14 event.
Detailed maps of the cemetery were duplicated for volunteer use, and multiple boxes of wreaths were strategically placed where many of the designated veteran gravesites were located. “It was a carefully organized event,” Cavazos said. “We tried to reserve gravesites close to the road edge and near the cemetery entrance for those volunteers with mobility limitations. We didn’t want volunteers with walkers to attempt climbing the hill or crossing uneven ground. We are also mindful of the snow and cold weather. We are providing temporary warmth in the cemetery office where we are offering chili to eat and hot chocolate to drink.”
Larson wanted to call attention to the exceptional community support and participation. Groups involved in the opening ceremony were VFW Post 6017 and Scout Troops #1155 and 8350. Taps were performed by Rodney Grondsma and Klayton Ruggles. Centenary United Methodist Church and Township Clerk Maureen Murphy provided refreshments. Funding for the wreaths, which cost $17 each, was donated by many local individuals, the Pentwater Service Club and the Michigan Dunes Chapter of the DAR (based in Pentwater). Larson said, “I am deeply grateful for the core group of dedicated Friends of Pentwater Township Cemetery volunteers who consistently show up and make things happen, ensuring the success of our efforts.”
Cavazos had high praise for Larson. “She really did the heavy lifting on this project.” Although the event is costly in terms of time and money, Cavazos expects that the event will continue. This year funds were found to cover the entire cost of the wreaths. “It was a good experience that we hope to make even better next year,” volunteer Grondsma commented. “I think we will run the shuttle bus more frequently next time around.” If that’s the only tweak to make next year, the leadership did a remarkably good job at their inaugural event.
Readers who wish to learn more about Wreaths Across America can do so by accessing their website, www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.<...
