Sisters Brynn and Kara Fridinger of Gloucester, are raising money for Wreaths Across America in order to have Christmas wreaths placed on the graves of veterans.
Brynn, age 9, and Kara, 5, are fundraising with their American Heritage Girls of Virginia Troop 1318. The two started fundraising for WAA with their older brothers, and now are continuing the tradition of honoring veterans themselves.
Funds the girls raise will go directly toward the purchase of wreaths that will be placed on the headstones of veterans at Yorktown National Cemetery. Brynn said that she doesn’t want anyone left out, so their goal is to have a wreath on every grave.
The girls’ mother, Lee Fridinger, said that Yorktown National Cemetery has roughly 1,600 plots, which means the AHG has a lot of work to do to get a wreath on every grave. Each $15 wreath they sell will get placed during a ceremony on Dec. 19.
At present, the girls are about 500 wreaths shy of their goal, partly because of setbacks due to COVID-19. Brynn said last year they went door-to-door to sell wreaths, but this year they’ve had to get more creative.
Troop 1318 members have spoken at different churches, but they’ve relied mostly on social media to advertise. Lee said that they’ve also passed out fliers with QR codes for people to scan that take them to the purchasing website.
The pandemic also delayed the start of their fundraising by several weeks. In a normal year, they can begin as early as late August, said Lee. Despite the setbacks and adjustments, the sales have been promising.
Lee said that when they started this year, the girls were featured on WAVY TV-10 to promote the wreaths. An anonymous viewer saw the video and donated $1,000. Other sales have also come from the exposure WAVY gave them, but they are still short.
Lee said it means a great deal to the Fridinger family to raise money for this cause. Her husband is an Air Force veteran who served for 20 years. She said that they’re glad they found a place to live that respects veterans and honors their sacrifices like the people of Gloucester do.
To purchase a wreath, go to tinyurl.com/BKAHGWAA. Each wreath is $15 and will be placed on the graves on Dec. 19 at noon. Lee said that the ceremony is open to the public, and all are welcome to attend.