Laying 22,500 wreaths to honor deceased veterans at Canton’s Georgia National Cemetery will be a formidable challenge, but the volunteers planning and carrying out the job have done their homework.
The GNC Advisory Council, a volunteer group with about 40 members, has been organizing and raising the funds for the Christmas wreath placements every December since the cemetery opened in 2006. Like a military action, the council’s initiative requires getting large numbers of people, vehicles and materials to the right places at the right times and having them ready for action.
The annual remembrance is part of Wreaths Across America, which places live balsam wreaths at the 135 national cemeteries, including GNC.
“A lot of people think the government pays for this,” said Russ Seltenright, GNC Advisory Council treasurer. “But both the cemetery and the Veterans Administration are restricted by charter from doing fundraising. Our council has to raise the money — $365,000 this year — and recruit volunteers to do the work.”