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HANOVER TWP. — An effort to provide festive greenery for the graves of veterans in an historic local cemetery has generated significant interest but it’s not too late for others to pitch in, organizers say.
Members of the Shawnee Fort Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, are looking for donors to sponsor wreaths for the graves of veterans buried in Hanover Green Cemetery for National Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 14.
Their goal for this year is 300 wreaths. Since a Times Leader story was published in early November, the program has topped 100 wreaths, with the total over 130 as of Thursday, chapter member Kathleen Smith said.
Hanover Green Cemetery was founded June 9, 1776. Among those whose remains rest beneath the cemetery’s rolling green hills are more than 1,600 people who served in America’s armed forces from the American Revolution to the modern era.
The chapter is seeking volunteers to sponsor the wreaths — they’re $15 each — and to help place them on graves on the day of the ceremony.
Wreaths Across America coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies at more than 1,600 locations across the United States, at sea and abroad, according to the nonprofit group’s website. There is no cost for groups to participate, except for obtaining wreaths.
As part of the event, there also will be ceremonial wreaths laid in honor of the nation’s uniformed branches.
Anyone wishing to volunteer or sponsor a wreath for Hanover Green can do so by visiting https://tinyurl.com/hanovergreenwreaths. Interested donors also may call Smith at 570-704-9809.