This year, Wreaths Across America as part of the “Teach” pillar of our mission, will host our first annual Lindbergh Crate Day event on Tuesday, May 20, in Maine on the tip lands where balsam is grown and harvested to make veterans’ wreaths.

The Lindbergh Crate, used to transport famed aviator and Medal of Honor recipient Charles Lindbergh’s plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, back to the United States from Paris in 1927, was gifted to WAA. The previous owner, Larry Ross, purchased the crate in 1990 and opened a museum on his property in Canaan, Maine, to use as a teaching tool for area youth. His focus was introducing students to “ordinary people who do extraordinary things.”

The crate was moved to Jonesboro, Maine, in 2024 and has since undergone a careful restoration by my family, in partnership with Wreaths Across America. Its revival and inclusion in the TEACH Program underscore both the organization and the founding family’s enduring commitment to youth education and preserving national history through local storytelling.

Several years ago, at a Crate Day event hosted by Ross, I had the honor of meeting two of those “ordinary” people. Sir Stanley Wojtusik, veteran and survivor of the Battle of the Bulge, and Edith Knowles, Gold Star sister of Bud Thorne, Medal of Honor recipient who died during that battle. Both Sir Stanley and Edith became great mentors for WAA, as well as close, personal friends of mine. Their love for family and country inspired them to spend their lives creating awareness and ensuring the sacrifices of WWII would not be forgotten.

For me, the lesson to be learned from Crate Day is that you can give for the greater good with what you have. I think of my husband, who visited Arlington Cemetery as a 12-yr-old and many years later as an ordinary “wreath maker from Maine” used what he had to honor those buried there. It was a simple gesture of thanks that sparked a national movement, people of all walks of live coming together to Remember, Honor and Teach.

Larry Ross with the creation of the “Crate Days” event was always encouraging kids to believe that we all have it within us to do good no matter what our circumstances might be.

Everyday I hear stories of people taking their loss and pain and turning it into an effort to help others.  Their example confirms my belief that each of us, when the opportunity arises, has the passion, purpose and possibility to do great things.  

“When purpose meets passion, you're unstoppable.” - Shelly Zalis