Pekin Ruritan Club seeks sponsors for Wreaths Across America

The Pekin Ruritan Club is teaming up with Wreaths Across America in the effort to support its mission to Remember, Honor, Teach on Dec. 15.

This is the second year that six local cemeteries in Keokuk and Jefferson counties will be included in the national event.

Wreaths Across America started as a simple gesture of thanks that, over the last 10 years, has grown into a national movement of dedicated volunteers and communities coming together to not only remember the nation's fallen and honor their service, but to teach the next generation about the sacrifices made for us to live freely. This year, there will be close to 1,500 participating locations placing wreaths on National Wreaths Across America Day, Dec. 15, with more than a million volunteers.

The Pekin Ruritan Club is continuing the project locally after 2017 Pekin High School graduate Maci Gambell started it as her Family, Career and Community Leaders of America STAR project.

The goal remains to raise enough funds to place over 600 live balsam fir wreaths on the headstones of all the veterans laid to rest in the six selected cemeteries, to ensure that the individuals who served to protect the freedoms of the country never be forgotten and to bring the community together in patriotic commemoration.

'Currently, the group has nearly 200 wreaths sponsored for this year,” said Christy Gambell, 'But we need your help in order to reach our goal. Please consider sponsoring.

'If we don't get enough sponsorships, we then have to choose which graves get the wreaths,” Gambell continued. 'We don't want to have to leave anyone out.”

Those interested in sponsoring a wreath to be placed in a local cemetery or volunteering for Wreaths Across America can contact Gambell at Christy.gambell@pekincsd.org, Tim Hadley at tim.hadley@pekincsd.org or any Senior Rising Ruritan member.

The deadline to sponsor a wreath is Nov. 15.