Help needed to collect and pack ‘Christmas Honors’ wreaths

Volunteers are needed on Saturday (Jan. 3) to pick up and return to storage the more than 15,000 wreaths on headstones at the Fort Smith National Cemetery.

The wreaths were placed on the headstones earlier in December as part of the sixth annual Christmas Honors program.

Volunteers are asked to meet at the Fort Smith Convention Center beginning at 8:30 a.m., and teams will work to pick up and transport wreaths from the cemetery to the convention center. At the center, the bows will be removed and the wreaths will be packed.

USA Truck stored the boxes between assembly and pickup and will deliver the boxes back to the Fort Smith Convention Center on Jan. 3 for storage. Since the beginning of the program, Baldor Electric has donated the annual storage and transportation of the wreaths to and from their storage facility for the program. Many other local sponsors have helped make this program a success.
 
Donations are still being accepted to help with the costs associated with purchasing new wreaths and bows. Donations can be sent to the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce located at 612 Garrison Ave., Fort Smith, AR, 72901. Please make all checks/payments payable to “Christmas Honors” c/o Philip Merry and the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce.