INDIANAPOLIS — Wednesday is the deadline to donate a Christmas wreath to lay on veterans' gravestones this holiday season. Organizers are asking for the community's help.
It's a time-honored tradition to remember and honor our fallen men and women each Christmas. However, 76% of the graves at Crown Hill Cemetery currently will not receive a wreath for Christmas.
More than 5,000 veterans are buried at Crown Hill National Cemetery in Indianapolis and another 14,000 in nearby Marion and New Albany national cemeteries.
Every year, Hoosiers donate live wreaths for their gravestones. However, there have never been enough wreaths for all the graves. In fact, year after year, most of these graves will never receive a wreath.
When a Christmas wreath is placed at a gravestone, a volunteer reads the veteran's name aloud and salutes them. The wreath itself, which is made of various evergreens, signifies continuous life.
Wreaths will be placed at gravestones around Indiana during public ceremonies Dec. 17.
Wednesday, Nov. 30 is the deadline to donate live wreaths through Indy Honor for $15. More information can be found at this link.