This year’s theme for Wreaths Across America (WAA) is “Find a Way to Serve.” In keeping with this, the organization launched a new TEACH program earlier this year. The program, which was put together by retired educator and Gold Star Mother Cindy Tatum, shares an established curriculum designed to teach the next generation about the value of their freedom. In the past few months, with consistent updates based on American holidays and other important events, this program has become wildly popular with professional educators and homeschoolers. Last month alone, this program received over 2,000 individual downloads.
The program, which consists of stories of courage and character, regularly introduces new educational materials – most recently you can find lesson plans specifically related to Veterans’ Day – further focusing on character development and service projects for young people of all ages. This program is FREE to download from www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/teach and is also available to all educators and homeschoolers on Teachers Pay Teachers. The program curriculum encompasses all grades starting at kindergarten through the senior year of high school.
This service-based curriculum is designed to share educational materials from philanthropic and patriotic organizations like The Unites States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, the American Rosie MovementTM, Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, The Congressional Media of Honor Society, and IKEducation at the Eisenhower Foundation. Additionally, WAA has developed a Veterans’ Oral History Project for youth from 4th -12th grades that encourages young people to interview a veteran, service member, or Gold Star Family member to learn about the sacrifices our military make on behalf of our country and teach the next generation the value of their freedom.
To learn more, or to download WAA’s TEACH materials, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/teach.
“As a volunteer, founding family member, and mother of six kids and grandmother to nine, whose lives have been greatly impacted by the opportunity to meet so many in the military community, I know that the teaching aspect of our mission is the most important,” said Karen Worcester, Executive Director, Wreaths Across America. “Finally, this long-standing desire to develop a more robust education program took a giant step forward with the launch of this expanded program. I am thrilled to see that so many educators are already seeing value in the materials and hope that more will have the opportunity to utilize these important lesson plans in their classrooms.”
Lesson plans for all grade levels and learning abilities have been designed by WAA’s Education Liaison, Cindy Tatum. “Being a part of helping Wreaths Across America teach younger generations about the value of freedom and the importance of honoring those who sacrificed so much to protect those freedoms, is something I know I am supposed to be doing and I know my son Daniel would want me to do,” said Tatum, a Gold Star Mother who lost her son who was serving in the USMC on Christmas Eve. “I want America’s youth to learn that as citizens of this world, there are things they can do to lift the human spirit, things that are easy, things that are free, things that they can do every day.”
This year,National Wreaths Across America Day is Saturday, December 17, 2022. It is a free event and open to all people. For more information on how to volunteer locally or sponsor a wreath for an American hero, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. To follow stories throughout the year from across the country focused on this theme, please use the hashtag #FindAWay2022
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About Wreaths Across America
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.
