On this Veterans Day, Wreaths Across America will commemorate fallen U.S. service members across the country by laying wreaths at their graves. Sarah Shellhammer, coordinator for the organization's Jacksonville branch, spoke with Local Edition to share more about the group's mission and how it honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
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Steve Michaels
This is Steve Michaels with Local Edition on NPR Illinois 91.9 UIS. I'm with Sarah Shellhammer in Jacksonville representing Morgan County for the Wreaths Across America Foundation. Thanks for joining me, Sarah.
Sarah Shellhammer
Great, thanks for having me.
Steve Michaels
With Veterans'Day this week, what are typical programs at Wreaths Across America deal with all year, not just during Veterans Day weeks or parades or recognitions or remembrances during the November holiday?
Sarah Shellhammer
Well, Wreaths Across America obviously is a not-for-profit organization and they're dedicated to remembering the following and honoring those who have served. And they concentrate on the holiday time to make sure that we recognize as many of our local heroes as we possibly can.
Steve Michaels
What is the most public part of what Wreaths Across America does that people, even driving past some of the cemeteries that you work with, would recognize?
Sarah Shellhammer
Well, they obviously will notice the wreaths on the veterans' graves. And they have these beautiful wreaths that are actually made by veterans out in Maine, and they ship them across the country. And when we get ours, I cry every year when I see the truck come in and delivering all these wreaths and they're beautiful balsam wreaths. They've got a big red bow on them. And it's very visible when people go out to the cemeteries and they see these gorgeous wreaths that are laid upon the veterans graves. And the main, our main purpose behind it is to let these brave men and women know we remember you. We know what your sacrifice was and we remember you at the holiday season.
Steve Michaels
Now, you're there in Morgan County, and I know you're working with four cemeteries, at least I think 4 in the Jacksonville area. But are there representatives like yourself in other counties in Illinois that do the same work? Or do you guys, does your group there in Morgan County work with other cemeteries outside of Morgan County?
Sarah Shellhammer
Well, Reese Across America, I believe, has 151 locations across the state. And we take the four here in Jacksonville and then we also invite people. So if you have someone that is buried in an outside location, you may still order a wreath through Wreaths Across America, but we don't lay wreaths in those cemeteries. But we concentrate on the Diamond Grove and East and Memorial Lawn and Calvary cemeteries here in town. And we have hundreds of veterans buried here and it's our goal every year to try and get wreaths for all of them. Obviously, that's a pretty tall order, but we raise as many funds as we can.
Steve Michaels
And are all of these cemeteries managed by the federal government or some state or some private?
Sarah Shellhammer
Yeah, two of them are private and then one of them, I'm sorry, two of them are managed by the city. And so, we work with the city. They help us find grave markers for different people. And we ask people throughout the course of the year, if you have a loved one who has served and you would like a wreath placed upon his or her grave, you know, please let us know and we will be, you know, we'll try to get a wreath out there and make sure we get them honored.
Steve Michaels
I'm Steve Michaels on Local Edition here on 91.9 UIS NPR Illinois. And before we forget, you're mentioning families and folks who want to not just participate, but have their service members recognized and the ability for all of us to thank them for their service. How does someone, whether they're in Morgan County or not, how do they reach out to Wreaths Across America?
Sarah Shellhammer
They can reach out nationally. They can go to WA.org and they can reach out to the national. But if they want to buy wreaths locally, they can go to our Facebook page or our website. We have order forms there. And then those wreaths usually come in Somewhere around the week or so before we work with our local funeral home, heirsman hires a funeral home here in town. They're very generous to allow us to use their location. And we have a small ceremony there. Wreaths across America is actually a particular day when we go out and lay wreaths on graves. This year it's December 19th. And we have a small ceremony and then we go out and then we lay those wreaths. And it's really, I don't know if you've ever seen it, Steve, but it's a really spectacular event where you go out and you actually take the wreath and the bow is facing up and you say the person's name, whether it be John Doe and you say, John Doe, we remember your service and you lay the wreath on his grave. And it's just something monumental about the holiday season to let our military know that we recognize our sacrifice.
Steve Michaels
So, are all these recognitions with wreaths across America, are they typically all done on for this year at least on that December 19th date?
Sarah Shellhammer
Yes, it's done on that day. And it's not just our cemeteries, all across the entire nation. People are going out with the same mission of recognizing our local heroes. They're going out and doing the exact same thing. So, we're all out there at the same time laying wreaths on veterans' graves.
Steve Michaels
Sarah, I remember at Camp Butler, I'm sure I've seen a truck or two semis in the past as a part of this event. That was a long time ago. It might have been pre-COVID, but when you have trucks like this servicing destinations for this day all across the country. How many trucks and wreaths are arriving there, or are you anticipating this year in December there in the Jacksonville area?
Sarah Shellhammer
Well, our goal this year is 500. In years past, we've done, we started off small, we did, a couple 100 wreaths and then it's starting to pick up steam as more and more people become aware of what our mission is and what we're trying to do. We've had, and we have a lot of corporate sponsors this year, which we're super excited about because, you know, a large donation wreaths are $17. And if you buy 2 wreaths, you get one free. So we are able to, you know, to increase our order every year and we just we hope people will keep supporting it. We've got a huge amount of volunteers that come out every year from the Boy Scouts to different clubs and different people who just have heard about it and want to be part.
Steve Michaels
Sarah, can you give me that contact information one more time for those who want to purchase a wreath?
Sarah Shellhammer
Sure, they can go you can go to our Facebook page at WJILWJDO. or you can go to wjvoradio.com or you can give us a call 217-245-5119.
Steve Michaels
Sarah, how many years have you been involved with Wreaths Across America?
Sarah Shellhammer
You know, this is our 6th year and it just keeps getting bigger every year. And, you know, we're actually thinking about possibly taking on a few more cemeteries. But obviously you have to have, we have a location coordinator for everyone who makes sure that all of our res get to the appropriate place. And I will say that we have two gold star families here in Jacksonville and we make sure every year that we go out and we have a special ceremony for those two young men who, you know, made the ultimate sacrifice. So it's such a rewarding thing to be able to do.
Steve Michaels
Sarah, you're the general manager at WJIL/WJVO in Jacksonville. So, without knowing in advance, I didn't realize that in this specific case, it sounds like it's not just a community effort that you lead, but as a part of your family of stations out there in Jacksonville. This is a big part of you connecting with the community out there.
Sarah Shellhammer
Absolutely. We're very involved with the veterans organization. We bring in several memorials throughout the course of the years. We brought in a World War II replica. We brought in the wall that heals. We've done several. We believe very strongly in saluting our men and women in uniform. And we do lots with our veterans here in town. We work very closely with the AMVETS Post 100 to be able to provide different services for veterans. So this is something we believe very strongly in is making sure that we recognize the sacrifice for men and women in uniform.
Steve Michaels
How did you first learn about this program and decide this was something you just wanted to latch onto and spearhead?
Sarah Shellhammer
I heard about the program, because it is a national program, a few years ago. And then I started researching how we could maybe do something like this locally. And I got in contact with them and realized and did all the paperwork to become a location coordinator. And it's hard to pick just one cemetery because in communities like this, as many of the others, you have more than one. So we picked the four that were here in town. And the very first year, I don't remember how many reads we were able to do, but it was very well received. And the next year it increased. And we kind of learned a few more tricks and a few more, I don't want to say tricks, but a few more tips on how we could increase funds. And so we do fundraisers throughout the course of the year. We do a few fundraisers. We just got done doing a battle of the branches up at the AMVETS. It was a chicken wing cook off and we raised 2 or $3,000 there, but two or $3,000 for reese is a lot of money that will help cover a lot more graves. but we do several different fundraisers throughout the course of the year in order to help raise funds for this one special day of the year.
Steve Michaels
Where is your need year to year? Not just funding necessarily, but is it in volunteers? Is it preparation at the cemeteries? Where are the gaps sometimes each year that you seem to have a difficult time overcoming that other people might be able to assist with, volunteers maybe?
Sarah Shellhammer
Obviously, funding is the number one thing. We do have a lot of people who purchase wreaths for their loved ones' graves, but also laying the wreaths as you might have guessed, sometimes December 19th cannot be so kind to you weather wise. And I know it's sometimes an uncomfortable day, but that's okay. We go out there and it's been raining sideways before we've had snow, we've had everything tossed at us, but we believe that, you know, it's That's the least we can do to show our appreciation for what these young men and women endured for us. So we do definitely love to have volunteers out there, the more people that can come out. And also, it's also about education and making sure that we teach these young people, especially the price of freedom and what it costs to be free. And that they recognize that these young men and women were that they did service for our country.
Steve Michaels
Sarah, I want to thank you for your efforts, not just for our family and other families who have lost loved ones, for those who have serving their country. And I want you, if you don't mind giving us one last time, the contact information of how to reach out to Wreaths Across America.
Sarah Shellhammer
And you can go to WAA Wreaths Across America.org and you can order them through that website as well. And I believe on that website you can actually note if there is a specific cemetery you would like to, that you would like to purchase them for.
Steve Michaels
Sarah, thanks for joining me today. This is so much more than I thought it was and what an opportunity to thank those that you may have not even met in service of the country. Thank you for your time today.
Sarah Shellhammer
Well, thank you, Steve, for having me, and I appreciate your helping spread the word.
