Operations

Wreaths Across America rolls into San Diego

Dec. 10, 2010

Wreaths Across America reached San Diego, CA this week, the hometown of one of its major sponsors for 2010, Qualcomm. That company purchased more than 2,500 wreaths and also paid for printing the programs and other materials that will be used in the wreath-laying ceremony for fallen veterans of America’s Armed Forces, which is planned for this Saturday at Fort Rosecrans

Wendy Leavitt

According to the San Diego News, the regional program will also expand to the Miramar National Cemetery next year.

Wreaths Across America is a non-profit formed as an extension of the Arlington Wreath Project, which was started by Morrill Worcester of Worcester Wreath in 1992. Every year since then, an army of volunteers has visited military cemeteries in December to hold memorial ceremonies and place Christmas wreaths on the graves of fallen soldiers, culminating at Arlington National Cemetery. In the U.S., the wreaths are delivered by U.S. trucking companies in specially marked trailers and in convoys escorted by police officers and other groups.

Several of Qualcomm’s customers are involved in the program, Qualcomm told Fleet Owner, including Baylor Trucking, Boyle Transportation, Pottle’s Transportation, Perdue Trucking, Prime and Wal-Mart.

This season, 215,000 wreaths will be placed on the graves of American veterans throughout the nation as well as abroad. The schedule of stops is available at the Wreaths Across America website.

About the Author

Wendy Leavitt

Wendy Leavitt joined Fleet Owner in 1998 after serving as editor-in-chief of Trucking Technology magazine for four years.

She began her career in the trucking industry at Kenworth Truck Company in Kirkland, WA where she spent 16 years—the first five years as safety and compliance manager in the engineering department and more than a decade as the company’s manager of advertising and public relations. She has also worked as a book editor, guided authors through the self-publishing process and operated her own marketing and public relations business.

Wendy has a Masters Degree in English and Art History from Western Washington University, where, as a graduate student, she also taught writing.