Everlasting Gratitude Wreath Program begins fundraising

By Ed Pierce

They sacrificed for us, protected us, and defended our liberty during war and in peacetime and our military veterans deserve our thanks for their courage, strength and dedication in keeping us safe. It may be a small measure, but supporting Windham’s Everlasting Gratitude Wreath Program is a great way to show respect for area veterans.

Fundraising has started for American Legion
Post 148's Everlasting Gratitude Wreath Program,
which places wreaths on the graves of military
veterans in Windham cemeteries each Christmas.
FILE PHOTO

The program was started by Sebago Gardens in 2013 and continues today under the leadership of American Legion Post 148 in Windham. Every Christmas season, the Windham Everlasting Gratitude Wreath Program provides wreaths adorned with red, white, and blue ribbons for placement on veteran’s graves in town. In 2022, more than 1,000 wreaths were placed in 24 different Windham cemeteries honoring the service of military veterans buried there.

Some of the local graves of veterans date back to the Colonial Era and the Revolutionary War. Graves of Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans can also be found in Windham.

Each December, the Windham Everlasting Gratitude Wreath Program conducts a ceremony honoring the contributions of local veterans and follows that up with the placement of seasonal wreaths adorned with red, white, and blue ribbons. The special ceremony is coordinated with the laying of wreaths at the national cemeteries across America and includes placing a large, decorated wreath at each cemetery entrance in Windham.

Thanks to the generous donations from local businesses and many members of the community, Windham’s American Legion Field-Allen Post 148 has been able to sponsor this popular program, but further donations from the public are needed to keep it viable. The Legion’s Everlasting Gratitude Wreath Program has zero overhead, and all donations are used to purchase wreaths, ribbons, and hardware. This year, with approval and assistance from the Town of Windham, each veteran’s grave in town will have a shepherd’s crock placed on it in December about 30 inches high to hang the wreath on. These shepherd’s crocks allow volunteers to remove the wreaths easily when it is time to retrieve them rather than having to dig them out from under a pile of snow.

Fundraising for the Everlasting Gratitude Wreath Program starts in July because Post 148 needs to raise more than $6,000 every year to support the program and requires the funds to be available by September to pay for the wreath order. Once all the wreaths are ordered, the accompanying bows will be made by the American Legion family and local community volunteers and then matched to the wreaths when they arrive later in the fall.

Legion members are now actively contacting the Windham business community and mailings to support the program run through August. Anyone wishing to donate to the Everlasting Gratitude Wreath Program may do so by sending a check marked “Legion Wreaths,” to Legion Post 148 P.O. Box 1776, Windham, Maine 04062. Additional information will be provided as to when the bows will be made, and when the wreaths will be distributed for those interested in supporting the initiative. The American Legion is a Federal designated 501 (c) 19 organization. <