Mishall RehmanAbove image: left, the sun sets on the National Cemetery at Beechwood Cemetery on Dec. 1, 2024. Image courtesy of Cyndi Mills. A family member places a wreath a loved ones grave. Image courtesy of MWO (ret’d) Carole M.F. Morissette, CD, Image Tech.
To mark the holiday season, over 250 volunteers came together to honour the sacrifices and celebrate the legacy of Canada’s military personnel and their families.
This year, a wreath was placed on over 5,400 Canadian military personnel headstones at Wreaths Across Canada annual event. The organization noted it was due to volunteers as they unloaded the wreaths, made over 3,000 bows, placed the wreaths on headstones, and cleaned them up.
Annual Ceremony
The organization’s mission is to honour the sacrifices and celebrate the legacy of Canada’s military personnel and their families.
“Honouring Sacrifice and Celebrating Legacy summarizes the significance of Wreaths Across Canada’s purpose. We are honouring our military members and military families for their service and, more importantly, celebrating their legacy,” said Cyndi Mills, president of Wreaths Across Canada.
Wreaths Across Canada held its annual ceremony in Ottawa on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, at the National Cemetery Main Monument at Beechwood. Wreaths were placed on graves in the Veterans and War Dead Section, Last Post Section, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, National Cemetery, and Notre Dame Cemetery. The annual event is held on the first Sunday in December, at the beginning of the holiday season.
A Successful Event
For the second year in a row, handmade balsam wreaths from Canadian company Rose Enterprises Inc. were used for the event. Over two Saturdays, people gathered at the National Capital Military Family Resource Centre to make bows.
Also, this year’s ceremony, for the first time in years, included a performance from the Military Wives Choir as the volunteers laid wreaths.
According to Mills, this year’s event was the most successful in terms of how many wreaths the organization was able to lay. She attributes this success to the businesses and organizations that sponsored the event and all the volunteers.
“We were able to do this because of our sponsors and volunteers. None of this would be possible without them. We are so grateful for them,” noted Mills.
She hopes they can build on this year’s success by growing the event to include Western Canada.
Success Due to Volunteers, Sponsors and Donors
Mills says Wreaths Across Canada’s growth can also be attributed to sponsors and donors.
“As our organization relies on volunteers, our sponsors and donors are also critical, without them we would not be able to purchase the wreaths and the supplies to make the bows. We are so grateful to Sunbelt, Veterans Affairs Canada, RSM, and our donors for donating, without them, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do,” commented Mills.
Wreaths Across Canada is always on the lookout for more volunteers, sponsors and donors. From helping to raise funds to hosting events, everyday Canadians can make a noticeable difference in growing the organization’s work.
About Wreaths Across Canada
Wreaths Across Canada was founded by a retired Royal Canadian Air Force Warrant Officer who witnessed a similar ceremony in Arlington, VA, in 2007. WO (ret’d) Craig McPhee made it his mission to do the same for Canadian service members, and by 2011, Wreaths Across Canada hosted its first ceremony.
To learn more, visit the organization’s website. Those interested in volunteering can contact the Wreaths Across Canada Volunteer Coordinator Michelle Levesque by visiting their Facebook page here or website here.
