WEST LAFAYETTE, IN — More than 3,000 veterans rest for eternity at the Indiana Veterans Home, and each year, Dana Vann with Lafayette Gold Star Mothers makes sure every grave has a wreath for Christmas.
This year is no exception.
“Every wreath that’s placed on a grave at the Veterans Home is sponsored by someone,” Vann said.
But the wreaths are not free, so she’s started fundraising through the Lafayette Gold Star Mothers organization to hit the goal, just as she has for years.
Remembering those who served and have died is personal to Vann. Her son, Air Force Senior Airman John P. Morton Jr., died in the service when he was 22 while stationed in Italy. He was a Harrison High School graduate. After his death, she became a member of the Lafayette Gold Star Mothers.
“There are people who watch every year to help,” Vann said of the community’s generosity.
The Indiana Veterans Home wreaths can be purchased by going to Wreaths Across America and making a donation with the specific codes for the West Lafayette veterans home.
Wreaths can be sponsored on the Wreaths Across America website, https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org or by scanning the QR code. To avoid entering Lafayette’s specific code, got to https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/IN005
If a sponsor orders a wreath through Lafayette Gold Star Mothers, the local organization receives a $5 discount on another wreath. They now cost $17.
When ordering, and for the discount on other wreaths to go to the Indiana Veterans Home, use the code INSSHL. When it asks for a fundraising code, enter IN0005.
A sponsor may also buy wreaths by sending a check made out to Wreaths Across America — or WAA — in care of Dana Vann at 717 Wexford Drive, Lafayette, IN 47905. If people have questions, they may call Vann directly at 765-414-3676.
At noon Dec. 13, volunteers to place the wreaths on the graves will gather at the MacArthur Hall at the veterans home for a brief ceremony before heading out to the cemetery to decorate the graves.
In addition to the Lafayette Gold Star Mothers wreaths, Vann also volunteers to help make Christmas brighter for those who live at the Indiana Veterans Home by organizing gifts donated to the men and women there. The Christmas gift giveaways are unrelated to the Gold Star Mothers, she said.
Vann created a wish list on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/26JGR7NAD0M5Q. People may make purchases from the list, and the gift will be sent to Vann for distribution to the veterans at the home.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette Gold Star Mothers fundraising for Christmas wreaths at veterans home graves
Reporting by Ron Wilkins, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
