2 Ideas + 2 Organizations = A Mission 4 Us All
2 Ideas + 2 Organizations = A Mission 4 Us All
It’s been said that everything begins with an idea.
That’s certainly true in the case of two organizations that were created to fulfill
one mission – honoring those who serve. And starting this month, these two nonprofit
organizations – Military No Stress PCS and Wreaths Across America – are teaming up
to inspire everyone to embrace this mission.
What started as a one-person tribute to the Fallen a few decades ago has now
become an annual event across the country. At the end of the holiday season in 1992,
Morrill Worchester, the owner of Worchester Wreath Company in Maine, had an idea:
He would take the company’s surplus of wreaths and use them to show reverence to
the Fallen. He worked with a Senator from Maine to gain approval to take the excess
wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery. There, he placed them at the headstones of
Veterans in one of the older sections of the cemetery where few people visited. This
gesture has become an annual tribute and led to the creation of his organization
Wreaths Across America.
Morrill Worcester founded the nonprofit organization in 2007 as a way to
remember the Fallen, to honor those who serve, and to teach children the value of
freedom through nationwide wreath-laying ceremonies and events. To learn more about
the organization, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.
Similarly, our organization, Military No Stress PCS, is the result of one person’s
idea put into action. Rob Schelle, a civilian in Tampa, Florida, noticed that military
families arriving to MacDill Air Force Base often needed and wanted information about
housing, schools and community activities. He sought to create an organization that
could provide this information (and more) free of charge about military installations
everywhere. In 2021, Military No Stress PCS was born. Almost two years later, the
organization has a team of concierge agents and Military Relocation Professionals
throughout the country ready to assist military families as they PCS to CONUS and
OCONUS locations.
Military No Stress PCS takes pride in partnering with other organizations that
support military families. So, again this year, we have decided to be a sponsorship
group in Wreaths Across America’s annual campaign. This means that we have our
own online link through which you can order a wreath that will be placed at the
headstones of our Veterans at cemeteries across the country.
Every year in December, Wreaths Across America holds a “National Wreaths
Across America Day.” On this day, wreath-laying ceremonies are held at Arlington
National Cemetery and at more than 2,500 locations across the country. In 2022, more
than 2.7 million veterans’ wreaths were placed on headstones at 3,702 locations around
the country. Our team of agents participated by placing some of the 104 veterans’
wreaths ordered through our link at the graves of our nation’s heroes. We plan to do
the same thing this year, and we’d love your support.
This year, National Wreaths Across America Day will be held on December 16,
2023. In preparation for that day, we are kicking off our wreath campaign this month as
our nation pauses to remember the Fallen on Memorial Day.
Starting May 22 through November 27, 2023, you can order a wreath for $17 and
have it sent to one the following locations: Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Sam
Houston National Cemetery, Northern New Jersey Veterans Memorial Cemetery,
Florida Hills Memorial Gardens or Quantico National Cemetery.
Because $5 of every wreath sponsorship comes back to Military No Stress PCS,
your wreath order not only honors our nation’s heroes, but it also helps our organization
continue to offer our services free of charge.
Additionally, for every wreath order you place through our link, you will gain an
entry into a drawing for a $50.00 gift card. One winner will be selected each month from
June through November.
To sponsor a wreath in support of Military No Stress PCS, please visit:
https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/FL1025P .
We hope you’ll join us on this honorable mission.
By: Yolanda Conrad, Concierge Agent, Military No Stress PCS
