Fundraiser honors fallen heroes

PERKINS TWP. — People can help kick off the holiday season by sponsoring handmade wreaths that will be placed on veterans' gravesites. The Lake Erie Shores chapter of the Blue Star Mothers of America is hosting its ninth year of Wreaths Across America. People can donate funds to sponsor a wreath, which will be placed on a grave at the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky. It's scheduled for noon on Dec. 17. The Ohio Veterans Home hosts more than 4,000 graves in its cemetery. The Blue Star Mothers' goal this year is to have enough wreaths for each gravesite. Kim Harder Danes, the vice president of the local Blue Star Mothers of America chapter, appreciates all the support the organization has received. "Without the Wreaths Across America, the Ohio Veterans Home would probably only receive 150 wreaths by people purchasing a wreath online," Harder Danes said. By sponsoring a wreath, Harder Danes said, "You support our American heroes who have sacrificed so much for us." "Your sponsorship will ensure that a wreath is hand-crafted of all-American balsam and hand-tied with a red velvet bow in Columbia Falls, Maine," Harder Danes said. "It will then be sent to one of our participating locations, where a volunteer will place it on the marker of a fallen hero. That volunteer will then 'say their name' to ensure that the legacy of duty, service and sacrifice of that veteran is never forgotten." The deadline to order a wreath is Nov. 27. People can order wreaths through the Wreaths Across America website and use the code OH0077 to credit the wreaths to the local Blue Star Mothers of America chapter. Wreaths are $15 each, and for every two wreaths sponsored, the local chapter will receive a third wreath for free. Visit wreathsacrossamerica.org or call 877-385-9504 for more information regarding the sponsorship.