Warren Stephens donates $5,000 to wreath project

Funds raised to support the “Christmas Honors” project reached $48,200 Monday (Dec. 7) morning, with $5,000 coming from influential Little Rock businessman Warren Stephens.

Philip Merry, president of Bowen, Miclette, Britt & Merry of Arkansas, and one of the Christmas Honors leaders, said Stephens — whose companies include Stephens Inc. and Stephens Media — hopes the Fort Smith effort is so successful it inspires Little Rock to do something similar.

Christmas Honors is an effort to place a wreath at the roughly 12,000 headstones in the Fort Smith National Cemetery. The Education & Quality of Place division of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, which is leading the effort, seeks to raise at least $60,000 to cover the upfront costs of buying the wreaths.

Between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m., on Dec. 12, families of service members will place a wreath on their family member’s gravesite. Friends and volunteers are welcome from 9:30 a.m. until the final wreath is placed. At 11 a.m. a short ceremony is planned to honor the various branches of the military. In addition, there will be a candlelight vigil at 5:30 p.m., Dec. 14 for friends, family and the community.

Personal donations ranging between $10 and $100 to support the effort are beginning to arrive in the chamber mail, said Whitney Yoder, chamber vice president of operations. She said around 50 checks were received as of early Monday. Also, the donations are coming from Dallas, Memphis, Mississippi and several other cities and states, she said.

“They (checks) come with letters and notes from people who say their husband or brother or someone is buried there and they’ll say they can’t drive to the cemetery but are so happy their loved one is being taken care of,” Yoder explained.

Volunteers are needed to help with wreath assembly and placement. For more information or to participate in this effort, please contact:
General Information: Philip Merry, 926-0939
Donation Information: Whitney Yoder, 783-3111
Volunteer Information: Sheri Neely, 650-5781

Also, donations to the Christmas Honors project can be made at any branch of Arvest Bank or First National Bank of Fort Smith.