Patchogue DAR Chapter Ranks in Top 30% for Wreaths Across America

The Col. Josiah Smith Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) placed 2,190th nationally out of more than 7,500 participating groups in Wreaths Across America’s (WAA) final 2024 rankings, positioning the chapter in the top 30% nationwide. In New York, the chapter ranked in the top 50%.

Due to the generosity of members, family, friends, and the local community, the chapter sponsored 72 wreaths in 2024, ensuring that veterans were honored during the holiday season. Chapter members joined over 1,000 volunteers at Calverton National Cemetery last December to take part in the wreath-laying ceremony. Over the past four years, the chapter has sponsored more than 200 wreaths at Calverton.

Beyond honoring veterans through WAA, a portion of the funds raised through wreath sponsorships supports veteran-related initiatives on Long Island. One key chapter initiative is supporting the Northport VA Medical Center’s Secret Soldier Santa project, which provides gift cards to veterans, allowing them to purchase holiday gifts for their families. Over the past four years, the chapter has donated $700 to this initiative, furthering its mission of giving back to those who have served our country.

Each year, WAA organizes efforts nationwide to "Remember, Honor, and Teach" by placing wreaths on veterans' gravesites on National Wreaths Across America Day. In 2024, participating groups helped honor more than 3 million interred servicemembers at more than 4,900 locations across the U.S. and more than 112,000 veterans at 190 sites throughout New York.

Since its founding in 2007, WAA has collaborated with hundreds of organizations, volunteers, and civic groups nationwide to remember and honor America’s veterans. Through WAA’s national $5 back program, $5 of each wreath sponsorship made through a registered WAA sponsorship group enables them to support local programs and initiatives. Since its inception, WAA has placed millions of wreaths and contributed $28 million to local programs through its sponsorship initiatives.

National Wreaths Across America Day will take place on Saturday, December 13, 2025. Community members are encouraged to sponsor a wreath for 2025 through the Col. Josiah Smith Chapter’s sponsorship program. It is never too early to support this mission and ensure that local veterans are never forgotten.

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About DAR
The DAR is a nonprofit, nonpolitical volunteer women’s service organization dedicated to promoting historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution is eligible for membership. Chartered in Patchogue, N.Y., in 1920, the Col. Josiah Smith Chapter NSDAR has been active in the community for over a century. For more information about the chapter and its mission, visit coloneljosiahsmithchapternsdar.org.

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 yearlong 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.