GREENSBORO, N.C. — Our fallen service members have lain down their lives for our freedoms. The least we can do is lay wreaths on their graves at Christmas.
That is the goal of Wreaths Across America, which works with a mission -- remember, honor, teach. It is that mission that inspired friends Mike Lapeirre and retired marine Wade Harvey to found the local chapter, Wreaths Across Greensboro, in 2013.
"When we learned about it (Wreaths Across America's mission statement), we gravitated toward the teach, because we had young kids at the time, and we wanted them to understand what happens and the sacrifices people make and the beautiful place we live and how we're able to live because of them."
This coming Saturday, Dec. 18, at 11 a.m., Wreaths Across Greensboro will put on its annual wreath-laying ceremony at Forest Lawn Cemetery, where 1,100 local veterans are buried.
"That commitment to honor and remember...and help them understand. It's hard to understand, because a sacrifice like that is really hard to understand," Lapeirre said.
Last year, statewide COVID restrictions forced the cancelation of the public ceremony, but a small group of Caldwell Academy eighth-graders privately laid the wreaths.
This year's event is back to full scale and able to accommodate up to 400 people. There is parking available at the Country Park parking lot, where shuttles will transport guests to the cemetery.
Though the event's impact is priceless, the cost of funding the effort is not. Sponsoring a single wreath costs $15, and you can do so online now. As of Thursday, Wreaths Across Greensboro still needed nearly 200 of the 1,100 wreaths sponsored. The organization's contribution goal is $20,000 in sponsorships and monetary donations to account for the wreaths, transportation fees and ceremony setup. Lapeirre said any remaining money goes toward the next year's program.
WFMY News 2's Meghann Mollerus is honored to participate in the event and will introduce this year's guest speaker. Reidsville native Sharon Denny will share the harrowing story of her late father's experience as a Japanese POW, who survived the infamous Bataan death march.