DRESDEN, Ohio — People commemorate Memorial Day each year, and while it is a day that many across the country remember those who died in active military service, some do not honor in that way.
An Ohio company, known for its home goods and lifestyle products, wanted to draw attention back to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
What You Need To Know
- Dresden & Company decided to create baskets for purchase with a nod to Arlington National Cemetery
- Proceeds benefit the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation
- The foundation provides scholarships to kids who lost a parent in the line of military duty
- To learn more about helping provide scholarships, click here
Many businesses carry the baskets Dresden & Co. makes, and the company is always looking for new products to put on the market, and this year the business partnered with the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, to make a greater impact in communities across the country and in the lives of families.
Designers came up with a Memorial Day-themed basket that reflects the imagery of Arlington National Cemetery. Inside the basket is red, white and blue.
Ryan Lepi, Director of Systems, said the outside of the basket has imagery representing the holiday.
“The green, being the grass and the white up splints to represent the headstones very neatly organized in rows.” said Lepi, who is a veteran himself. “If we’re going to do Memorial Day, I think we should do something that’s true to the nature of Memorial Day versus Americana celebration. Let’s focus on the real reason for Memorial Day, those that gave all.”
Weavers got to work producing the baskets, with the first ones being ready for purchase May 13. For Cody McCourt, it takes about 25 minutes for him to complete one.
“With these, everyone you get done, you feel a little bit of an accomplishment because you are helping someone, but you kind of feel that through the whole process,” McCourt said.
While McCourt doesn’t have kids of his own, he’s grateful that he gets to make an impact in this way. Still, he said he wishes they could do more.
“It’s a hard thing to live through, even if your father or mother was in the service,” he said.
The Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation serves the families of service members from all branches of the armed forces who have died from combat casualties, military training accidents, service-related illnesses, suicides, as well as other duty-related deaths as ruled by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
To learn more about the Arlington Basket, click here.
