Media contact: Keith Paul
Regional Communications Director
keith.paul@redcross.org | 702-400-7680
What: Wreaths Across America Day
When: Saturday, Dec. 16, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Utah State Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park, 17111 S. Camp Williams Rd., Bluffdale
Who: American Red Cross of Utah and other organizations’ volunteers
BLUFFDALE, Utah (Dec. 14, 2023) — The American Red Cross of Utah, alongside other community, civic and military organizations, will come together on Wreaths Across America Day, Saturday, Dec. 16, to honor the lives and sacrifices of military veterans. Thousands of wreaths will be laid at the Utah State Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park in Bluffdale, paying tribute to those who have served our nation.
“Wreaths Across America provides an opportunity for unity and remembrance, allowing us to honor our military community and pay respects to those we've lost,” said Heidi Ruster, Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross Utah/Nevada Region, and U.S. Navy veteran. “The American Red Cross, with its roots on the battlefield, remains committed to honoring our veterans, active-duty military and their families.”
A nationwide tribute to our veterans
During Saturday’s ceremony, volunteers from the Red Cross and other organizations will honor each veteran by laying a wreath at their gravestone and reciting their name aloud, ensuring they are remembered. This act of respect will resonate across the country, with similar ceremonies taking place at over 3,700 local, national and military cemeteries, as well as veterans' memorials and historic sites. In 2022, over 2 million volunteers, a third of whom were children, helped place 2.7 million veterans’ wreaths at 3,702 locations.
“We are grateful for the volunteers here in Utah and across the country who place wreaths to honor those who have served,” Ruster said. “By placing a wreath on a veteran’s grave, we remember their service, their sacrifice and their legacy. It's an honor to be part of this nationwide effort to honor to our veterans.”
Continued service by military members
Over 20,000 Red Cross volunteers are veterans who have chosen to continue supporting their communities after their active-duty service ends, making up about 14% of the Red Cross workforce. These veterans play vital roles within the Red Cross, from emergency management and frontline disaster recovery to providing medical care in Veterans Administration and military hospitals, across the nation and around the world, as well as holding leadership positions in local chapters across the country.
About Wreaths Across America Day
Wreaths Across America, a national nonprofit organization founded in 2007, continues and expands the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. The tradition of laying wreaths at local military graves was started by a Maine couple in 1992. In December 2008, the United States Senate designated December 13, 2008, as the inaugural National Wreaths Across America Day. Each year since, the event has been marked on either the second or third Saturday of December. Visit wreathsacrossamerica.org for more information.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.