Wreaths Across America And Saving Lives
This month marks the 24th anniversary of the Wreaths Across America Program which was started in 1992 with the donation and laying of 5,000 Christmas wreaths in the Arlington National Cemetery by Morrill Worcester. Though the program initially started as the Arlington Wreath Program, recent years have seen it cultivate into a nationwide project. The Wreaths Across America story began over 20 years ago when the Worcester Wreath Company from Harrington, Maine initiated a tradition of donating and placing wreaths on the headstones of our nation’s fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery. Recognition of the service and sacrifice of our veterans, and their families, is especially important during the traditional holiday season.
This year the program has set a goal of providing wreaths to over 1,000 veteran’s cemeteries across the United States. Of those 1,000 plus cemeteries, they hope to place more than 700,000 wreaths on gravestones and will count on the assistance of a large number of volunteers. The wreath laying officially takes place on the second Saturday in December, which falls on December 12th this year.
An extremely important part of Wreaths Across America project is to reach out to kids across the country each year and to stress the importance of “Remember, Honor and Teach” about the fallen servicemen and women who have served their country so faithfully. The themes are “Remember the fallen,” “Honor those that serve and their families,” and “Teach our children the value of freedom.” Through their webpage, Wreaths Across America provides a number of educational programs directed at school students. Additional information about this or their educational programs can be found at Wreaths Across America Project.
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON YOU CAN SAVE A LIFE
One of the greatest gifts you can give this holiday season is to save a life. During the winter holidays, blood centers often experience a decline in blood donations and thereby a shortage in blood supplies. In order to maintain the blood supply for the Coastal Bend, the blood center receives over 35,000 individuals a year that donate blood. Each year approximately 4.5 million people nationwide would die without the lifesaving blood transfusions made possible by generous donors. A single blood donation made this holiday season can be used to save up to three lives.
District 32 is serviced by two blood donation centers, which are the Coastal Bend Blood Center and the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center. The Coastal Bend Blood Center provides services to fourteen medical centers in its ten-county service area of Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kleberg, Live Oak, Nueces, Refugio and San Patricio. The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center provides blood, plasma, platelets and other blood components to 67 hospitals and clinics in 43 South Texas counties including the Victoria/Calhoun area. If you would like to donate this holiday season, you can get additional information by contacting the Coastal Bend Blood Center at 1-800-299-4943 or the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center at 1-800-292-5534.
If you would like to follow the Texas House and learn more information on news, committees or other aspects of the legislative body, you can access its website at Texas House of Representatives. The site features live streaming from committee hearings as well as access to a number of other resources. You can also follow the Texas Senate at Texas Senate. For important information regarding transportation in the state, feel free to visit the Texas Department of Transportation. Other references are the Texas General Land Office, or visit the Texas Railroad Commission.
If you have questions regarding any of the information mentioned in this week’s article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. Please always feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or issues regarding a Texas state agency, or if you would like to contact my office regarding constituent services. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).
– State Representative Todd Hunter, District 32
Rep. Hunter represents Nueces (Part) County. He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house.state.tx.us or at 512-463-0672.
