Final preparations are underway for this year’s Memorial Day Flowers tribute, taking place on Monday, May 27, at 40 national cemeteries around the country. The national event is led by the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation.
25,000 visitors to Arlington National Cemetery will receive roses and California focal flowers to place at the grave sites of loved ones and others. Holland America Flowers is donating 700 bouquets for children in T.A.P.S. (the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors).
291,000 flowers have already been ordered for National Cemeteries across the country.
Along with TD Bank, CalFlowers is a Platinum Sponsor of the Arlington National Cemetery tribute. CalFlowers is also the event organizer at the San Francisco (in the Presidio) and Golden Gate National Cemeteries (in San Bruno, south of San Francisco). Mt. Eden is providing logistical support for these locations.
CalFlowers sponsorship will also support the following cemeteries:
- Alabama National Cemetery
- Beaufort National Cemetery (South Carolina)
- Ft. Logan National Cemetery (Denver, CO)
- Houston National Cemetery
- Jacksonville National Cemetery
- Oregon Trail
- Sacramento Valley National Cemetery
- South Florida National Cemetery
In the Bay Area, there are three local sponsors - Kilroy, PayPal, and the Veterans Network from Palo Alto Networks - for San Francisco and Golden Gate National Cemeteries, and it looks as though more flowers are needed to accommodate the growing number of volunteers signing up to place the flowers. For San Francisco 50 to 70 volunteers are expected from PayPal, San Francisco’s Junior ROTC cadets, the Golden Gate Chapter of Young Marines, and local Scout Troop 15. A good number of the 1,500 people who attend the morning ceremony are also expected to help place flowers after the ceremony.
For Golden Gate National Cemetery, at least 50 volunteers are expected from Palo Alto Networks and the Golden Gate Chapter of Young Marines.
CalFlowers members Kitayama Brothers and Ocean Breeze have already committed flower donations.
For more information
CalFlowers
www.cafgs.org