There are moments in a community that ask us to pause, stand together, and remember what truly matters.
This Christmas season, Locke & Key Associates at KW is honored to serve as the Presenting Sponsor for Wreaths Across America at M.J. “Dolly” Cooper Veterans Cemetery in Anderson County, South Carolina. On Saturday, December 19, 2026, volunteers, families, veterans, businesses, and neighbors will gather to place remembrance wreaths on the graves of our honored veterans. We will also be using this time to raise funds for Vets Helping Vets Anderson, that assist veterans in need in our community.
The mission of Wreaths Across America is beautifully simple and deeply powerful: Remember. Honor. Teach. Each December, Wreaths Across America coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and more than 5,500 participating locations across all 50 states, at sea, and abroad.
Here in Anderson County, that mission becomes personal.
Dolly Cooper Veterans Cemetery is sacred ground. It is the final resting place of men and women who served our country, protected our freedoms, and gave a portion of their lives in service to something larger than themselves. When we place a wreath, we are not simply decorating a grave. We are saying a name. We are acknowledging a life. We are telling a family, “Your loved one is not forgotten.”
A Local Effort With a Lasting Impact
Locke & Key Associates is proud to help sponsor this important event, and we invite local businesses, organizations, families, and community leaders to join us as sponsors this year.
The goal is simple: to make sure every honored veteran at Dolly Cooper Veterans Cemetery is recognized this holiday season.
According to the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs, past Wreaths Across America efforts at M.J. “Dolly” Cooper Veterans Cemetery have honored over 4,000 veterans and spouses laid to rest there, with wreath sponsorships helping make the tribute possible.
Every wreath represents gratitude. Every sponsorship helps carry the mission forward. Every volunteer becomes part of a living promise that service and sacrifice will not fade quietly into history.
Sponsorship Opportunities
This year’s sponsorship levels include:
Evergreen Sponsor — $5,000
Includes 50 wreaths, prominent logo placement, recognition in advertising and banners, speaking opportunity during the ceremony, a display table, VIP seating, and featured recognition in social media posts and emails.
Honor Guard Sponsor — $2,500
Includes 35 wreaths, logo placement on event banners and promotional materials, recognition during the ceremony, social media shout-outs, program listing, and VIP seating for up to four guests.
Wreath Bearer Sponsor — $1,000
Includes 25 wreaths, logo or name on event banners, thank-you mention during the ceremony, company name in the event program, social media recognition, and VIP seating for up to two guests.
Partner Sponsor — $185
Includes five wreaths and name recognition on the event web
These opportunities allow families, businesses, churches, civic groups, and individuals to take part in a meaningful Anderson County tradition while directly helping honor local veterans. Wreaths are also available for individual purchase at cost for $17 per wreath.
In addition to the December 19 wreath-laying event, Locke & Key Associates will also invite guests to support Wreaths Across America during our Black Tie Christmas Gala at the Founders House on Friday, December 18 at 6:00 p.m.
The invitation only gala will be an evening of fellowship, celebration, and giving. Guests will have the opportunity to make donations to Wreaths Across America, helping provide wreaths for our honored dead while also supporting Vets Helping Vets Anderson.
Vets Helping Vets Anderson describes its mission plainly: “Vets Helping Vets.” The organization is an Anderson County veterans group and 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on supporting veterans in the Upstate South Carolina area Since 2014, the group has served as a support community for military members to come together and share their experiences.
That local connection matters. When you sponsor wreaths or donate through this effort, you are not only helping honor those who have passed. You are also helping lift up veterans who are still very much part of our Anderson community.
Why This Matters
As a Realtor, I spend much of my life talking about home. Houses, neighborhoods, front porches, family rooms, kitchen tables, backyards, and the communities that hold them all together.
But none of those things exist in the way we know them without the men and women who served.
The freedom to build a home, raise a family, open a business, worship freely, speak openly, and gather with neighbors was protected by people who answered the call. Some came home. Some did not. All deserve to be remembered.
Wreaths Across America gives us a beautiful way to teach the next generation that freedom is not abstract. It has names. It has stories. It has families. It has graves marked by white stone and remembered with evergreen wreaths.
How to Help
Please consider joining Locke & Key Associates at KW as a sponsor, donor, or volunteer for this year’s Wreaths Across America event at Dolly Cooper Veterans Cemetery.
You can support by:
•Sponsoring wreaths for veterans’ graves.
•Becoming a business or family sponsor.
•Attending the December 19 wreath-laying ceremony.
•Sharing the event with friends, clients, churches, civic groups, and local businesses.
To learn more about the national mission, visit Wreaths Across America. To learn more about the local veterans organization benefiting from this effort, visit Vets Helping Vets Anderson. Wreaths Across America’s official site describes National Wreaths Across America Day as a nationwide effort to remember the fallen, honor those who serve, and teach the next generation the value of freedom. Vets Helping Vets Anderson also provides local event, contact, and donation information for those who want to support Anderson-area veterans. This Christmas season, let’s make sure every hero is remembered.
Honor. Remember. Teach. Every wreath. Every hero.
📲 For sponsorship information please call or text Locke and Key Associates at KW at 864-940-0575 or email [email protected]
