What Is Stem to Stone?
Stem to Stone is not a metaphor. It is a journey. It begins in the forests of Maine, where balsam fir branches are cut by hand, bound into a wreath, and then carried across hundreds of miles to be placed on the grave of a fallen American hero. That journey, from living stem to engraved stone, is the heart of Wreaths Across America. And since 2018, For the Love of a Veteran has been honored to be part of it.
FTLOAV's partnership with Wreaths Across America goes back to 2017. A year later, Wreaths Across America dedicated a section of land specifically for our organization a place where the heroes of our own community, the veterans of York County and beyond, can be remembered, honored, and never forgotten. For eight years, our volunteers have quietly shown up for this mission. Now we want you to know the story.
WHY IT MATTERS
Every Hero Deserves to Be Remembered
The men and women we honor through the Helping Heroes Heal program fought to come home. The veterans we remember through Stem to Stone made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure others could.
Both missions come from the same place: a belief that no veteran should ever be forgotten.
Whether a hero is still with us, still fighting the invisible wounds of war or resting in a grave we walk past without knowing their name, they deserve to be seen. They deserve someone to stand over that stone and say their name: we remember you. We are grateful. Your sacrifice meant something. That is what Wreaths Across America does. That is what For the Love of a Veteran shows up to be part of.
FOX43 News: "Wreaths Across America honors local veterans in Maine
FOX43's Grace Griffaton traveled over 700 miles with three women from York County, PA to Wreaths Across America headquarters in Maine and captured something unforgettable.
THE JOURNEY OF A WREATH
Remember. Honor. Teach. The Wreaths Across America mission lives in three words: Remember the fallen. Honor those who serve. Teach the next generation the value of freedom. Those words are easy to say and hard to carry. But every December, thousands of volunteers across the country carry them literally to cemeteries in all 50 states and beyond, placing wreaths at more than 3,400 locations, including Arlington National Cemetery.
In 2022, PenFed Credit Union produced a short film called *Stem to Stone* following the full journey of a wreath from the moment it is harvested in the forests of Maine to the moment it comes to rest on a headstone at one of more than 3,400 locations across the country. The film features Gold Star dad J.D. Walker, who lost his son in service to this country. Standing at that grave, wreath in hand, he said what so many of us feel but struggle to put into words: "Look what we did. We completed a mission. And it's all for the sacrifice that you gave me and your family."
*That is Stem to Stone. Watch it here.
OUR COMMITMENT
Eight Years. One Mission. Since 2018, For the Love of a Veteran has participated in Wreaths Across America every year quietly, without fanfare, because that is how volunteers show up. Not for recognition. For the mission. We join thousands of people across the country who believe that a grave without a wreath is a story going untold. We believe the veterans of our community deserve that story to be told every year, as long as there are people willing to tell it. Wreaths Across America dedicated a section of land to FTLOAV so we can honor our local heroes. That ground belongs to them. We take care of it. If you have never been part of a wreath-laying ceremony, we invite you to come. There are no words adequate to describe what it feels like to stand in a row of strangers all there for the same reason and place a wreath on a hero's grave. You leave different than you arrived. ---
GET INVOLVED
Be Part of the Mission There are two ways to join us. **Come in December. **Every year, For the Love of a Veteran participates in the Wreaths Across America national wreath-laying ceremony. We would be honored to have you beside us. Follow us on social media or sign up for our email list to be notified when this year's date is announced.
*Each wreath placed at a veteran's grave is sponsored by a donor. When you sponsor a wreath, you are not buying a decoration — you are completing a mission. You are making sure one more hero is remembered this December. Or support everything we do. The Stem to Stone program is one part of how For the Love of a Veteran honors those who served. Our Helping Heroes Heal program funds life-saving SGB PTSD treatments for veterans and first responders at no cost to them. Every dollar you give goes directly to a hero.
For the Love of a Veteran has been honored to walk this mission since 2018. We plan to walk it as long as heroes need to be remembered and there will always be heroes who need to be remembered.