Oakwood Cemetery Board of Regents was asked Thursday for permission to place any potential sponsored wreaths through Wreaths Across America at the cemetery.
Bob Dockery, past commander at VFW Post 126, said he heard about Wreaths Across America and reached out to sexton Hal Heagy to see if wreaths could be put in Oakwood Cemetery to begin with and go out from there in Kosciusko County.
Wreaths Across America is an American nonprofit organization established in 2007 by wreath producer Morrill Worcester, assisted by veterans and truckers. Its primary activity is distributing wreaths for placement on veterans' graves in military cemeteries, according to provided information.
Heagy said Wreaths Across America is a program where people can purchase wreaths for their loved ones. When the wreaths are sponsored, some of the money is used to help in things like fix veterans’ stones and other things throughout the community.
Dockery said wreaths cost $17 and $5 of that “gets kicked back” into a fund in order to help with things like veterans’ gravestones.
Gary Bird, Whitley County Veterans Cleaning and Restoration coordinator, said his service cleans 89 cemeteries, which has over 2,000 veterans and restores veterans markers. After putting the flags out on Memorial Day several years ago, the graves “just didn’t look right.”
Part of Wreaths Across America is a year-round remembrance of veterans and military personnel, not just not just on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. The wreaths are purposely put together to have meaning behind them.
Bird said he deals with the wreaths for the cemeteries in Whitley County, but he has people who reach out to him to sponsor wreaths for their loved ones. Bird said there is no cost for the wreaths for the cemetery or city. The only cost is to the people who sponsor the wreaths for loved ones. He’s had people or businesses buy 50 or 75 wreaths.
Bird said he and Dockery were in front of the board to get permission from the owner of the cemetery to make sure the wreaths would be allowed at Oakwood if families sponsored them for people at the cemetery. There was also some paperwork that would have to be done on Dockery’s end as he would be the contact person in Kosciusko County for Wreaths Across America.
Heagy said he was personally alright with the idea. However, he would have to talk to Mayor Jeff Grose about Wreaths Across America since Grose would be the one signing any paperwork on behalf of the city.
Board members Ellen Hoffer and Don Guthrie were in favor of giving permission. Heagy said he would have to talk to board members Max Mock and Ken Locke about the program as they were both absent from Thursday’s meeting. If both men gave their okay, Heagy said he would talk to Grose.
In other business, the board heard:
• Eight loads of wood in December and January each were given out during the cemetery’s wood giveaway program. People can go through The Salvation Army to receive vouchers for the program.
• An addition to Cremation Garden is in the works.
• Preparations are being made for spring maintenance projects.