Wreaths Across America says local backlash is misinformation, Chattanooga responds

UPDATE:

Mickey McCamish, organizer for Wreaths Across Chattanooga, says his group did participate in the 3-for-2 deal. He says Wreaths Across Chattanooga sent $30 to Wreaths Across America and received three wreaths. McCamish says this “means that the wreaths were $10.00 each.”

However, he voiced some issues he sees with the $5 pay back program:

“As to the $5.00 pay back, these groups will collect $17.00 for a wreath to be placed on the grave of a veteran and then the group receives a $5.00 pay back from Wreaths across America on their $17.00 purchase.  Therefore, the group is using the grave of a veteran as a $5.00 fundraiser and the $5.00 can be used in any way that a group chooses.  There are no restrictions.  Therefore, Wreaths across America has enabled groups to earn $21.7 million using the graves of veterans to do that.  Further, most groups do not let donors know about the $5.00 that they receive from Wreaths across America since this is a fundraiser for a group with no control of how the $5.00 is used—for example…a group’s State Convention.”

As for the Chattanooga organization, McCamish stated:

“Wreaths across Chattanooga isn’t involved in any fundraising, we are all volunteers, and our purchases are straight up $10.00 per wreath, which enables more people to participate than at $17.00 per wreath.  Wreaths across Chattanooga’s mission is very simple and that is to place a wreath on each grave at Chattanooga National Cemetery.”

ORIGINAL POST:

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Wreaths Across America has issued a statement in response to local backlash of raised wreath pricing.

On Friday, we reported complaints voiced by organizers within the Wreaths Across Chattanooga. Prices of wreaths have recently increased to $17.

Wreaths Across Chattanooga organizers said the price rose from $10 per wreath. But the national organization says the prices were already at $15, except for some group deals.

They say the rising prices are due to costs of growing new and existing programs.

Wreaths Across America wants the public to know their mission is yearlong and not just during December.

Here is the national organization’s full statement:

As background, WAA was founded in 2007 to expand upon the wreath-laying tradition at Arlington National Cemetery that was started by the Worcester family in 1992. The program’s mission is to Remember the fallen, Honor those who serve, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom. From 2007 through 2022, the price for a WAA sponsorship has been $15, which includes support of the national programs we offer year-round and administrative costs – which are below average for a national organization of this size – as well as the placement of a live, balsam, hand-made veteran’s wreath for placement on National Wreaths Across America Day. This sponsorship includes the opportunity to sponsor ‘in honor’ or ‘in memory of’ someone and includes shipping to the participating location you’ve sponsored for.

Effective February 1, 2023, the price to sponsor a veteran’s wreath for placement on National Wreaths Across America Day increased to $17 from $15. When a sponsor contributes funds to WAA through the sponsorship of veterans’ wreaths, a wreath is always placed first, with the organization’s programs operating on the margin remaining. As the yearlong mission continues to grow, so do the operational costs associated with growing new and existing programs, such as the TEACH initiative and Veteran outreach efforts, promotional platforms such as Wreaths Across America Radio and the Mobile Education Exhibit that travels the country stopping in schools and communities to honor our nation’s veterans and welcome home Vietnam veterans, and staffing and administrative costs necessary to sustain the increased needs of thousands of volunteers and supporters.

With this change, we are happy to be able to continue our Sponsorship Group programs! There are a few options for groups looking to raise funds for veterans’ wreaths to be placed locally. These include:

• Pay-back Groups earn $5 back for their own programs for every wreath sponsored. Through this initiative, WAA has given back $21.7 million to other organizations and communities since 2007. American Legions, VFWs, youth groups, churches, schools, and other community programs use this program as a way to raise funds to place wreaths AND give back to their own communities!
• 3-for-2 Groups receive a third wreath for the price of two, which will now cost $34 vs. $30. The Chattanooga group that contacted you has long participated in this program. They would promote the wreaths for $10 each, but that was a misrepresentation – they were $15, but as a 3-for-2 group, they were able to generate more wreaths for their location – which is great and why we have this option available! To say the price jumped from $10 to $17 is inaccurate information. If they continued in the program, they would receive three wreaths for just $4 more than before and continue to support the year-round mission of WAA.
• No-plan Group is for those groups who would like to sponsor wreaths and help the nonprofit’s other programs, so the $5 comes back to WAA.

If you would like to see more information about the nonprofit’s financials and how WAA uses the dollars that come in, you can visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/finance.

In summary, participation in WAA is much more than placing a wreath in December. National Wreaths Across America Day is an event, but the mission is year-long and continues to grow because we are not decorating graves; we are working with like-minded organizations who are doing good in their community throughout the year.

There are many worthy groups and organizations where a person’s dollars will do good. If someone is giving to Wreaths Across America, we want them to understand that what they are sponsoring is much more than a wreath, and there are ways to do good twice by sponsoring through a $5 back group in their community.

I hope this clarifies some of the misinformation shared previously. Please know if groups want to honor veterans in another way, they are welcome to do so, but we certainly want people to understand what is involved with this program and what it means to be a part of the mission of Wreaths Across America.