TQL Honors Fallen Heroes With Moves That Matter Gift
Total Quality Logistics helped honor military men and women called to eternal watch with its December Moves That Matters gift, a $1,000 donation to Wreaths Across America.
Moves That Matter benefits non-profit organizations that use the truckload transportation industry to move items that will help those in need. TQL employees, customers or carriers can nominate non-profit organizations with whom they have worked to help move an important load of freight.
WAA collects and distributes wreaths to lay on the graves of fallen American soldiers in all 50 states during the holiday season. For the first time in 2014, the organization placed wreaths on every grave in Arlington National Cemetery.
Last year WAA replicated the feat, placing nearly a quarter million wreaths there, as well as 650,000 more around the country.
This year’s gift will help the provide wreaths for Greenlawn Cemetery in Milford, Ohio.
“We are estimating close to million volunteers will come out to lay wreaths across the country this year,” said Amber Caron, WAA spokesman. “All of our 1,200 locations have a need. Some are small cemeteries with 300 graves, others have more than 100,000 veterans. The need for each cemetery is the same - try to honor as many as you can.”
“When we lay wreaths on veterans’ graves, we also say their names,” said WAA executive director Karen Worcester according to the group’s website. “We are not here to ‘decorate graves.’ We're here to remember not their deaths, but their lives. It's a small act that goes a long way toward keeping the memory of our veterans alive.”
LAE Josh C. of TQL Dayton nominated WAA for the gift. This is TQL’s third straight year working with WAA and the second time the organization received a Moves That Matter grant.
“They have a great cause,” Josh said. “They honor many American veterans who are otherwise forgotten so our fallen heroes can be honored on the holidays.”
“We focus our philanthropic efforts on children, health-and-wellness initiatives and military support,” said Kerry Byrne, TQL president. “Wreaths Across America does remarkable work in helping remember those who died for the freedoms we enjoy. Their cause fits our giving mission perfectly and we are proud to partner with them.”
Congress proclaimed Dec. 17, 2016, National Wreaths Across America Day, the ninth consecutive year the legislature has bestowed the honor. WAA began in 1992 with a gift of 5,000 wreaths donated by the Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine.
Moves That Matter began in 2014 with a gift to the Where Angels Play Foundation. TQL learned it was entrusted to move the equipment to build the last six of 26 Connecticut playgrounds constructed in memory of each victim of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting.
Moves That Matter is one of the many programs administered by TQL Cares, the company’s employee-driven community service initiative.