WINDSOR MILL, Md (WMAR) — A Maryland Army veteran, who dedicates tons of his spare time to honoring our fallen heroes, is asking for some help.
Larry Acord volunteers for Wreaths Across America. He sets out to lay 1,000 wreaths on the graves of fallen heroes during the holiday season.
Last year, he surpassed his goal, but this year, he is still far off. At $15 a wreath, he can afford just shy of 200.
To help boost his fundraising efforts, Acord is organizing a golf tournament, but it isn’t getting enough support so he may have to cancel it all together.
“It’s my first go at it. Things have been rough. Throughout the course of the summer, I’ve been reaching out to local businesses to see if I can recruit sponsors... Things aren’t just coming through as great as I thought up to this point. It’s very hard for me,” said Acord. “I don’t want to be a failure at any mission. I don’t want to have to cancel this mission. I want it to be a success. I hope it carries to next year.”
He takes pride in being able to honor the veterans who came before him and he wants to make sure each gets the respect they deserve. But, not every grave gets a wreath each year because of a lack of funding. The four cemeteries he helps out at make sure it's a different group annually.
"They rotate the location so they will have this specific lot for this year. and then they will rotate to another so it’s not the same section of the cemetery each year, but if we can get more support and more donations, we can go beyond that," said Acord.
He’s looking for individuals or teams to join, as well as sponsors.
It’s set for October 5th at Woodlands Golf Course in Windsor Mill.
Click here for ticket information.