(NewsNation Now) — Every December Wreaths Across America coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies across the United States, but an even more significant part of their mission is to remember, honor and teach all year long.

The organization developed a plan to safely place the wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and across more than 2,500 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad.

Arlington National Cemetery will close for an entire week so soldiers can place most of the wreaths. A small group from Wreaths Across America will place wreaths in a designated section of the cemetery.

“We have almost 2 million volunteers that will place those wreaths, and we say the names; it’s important to say the names because these are not a statistic; these are people,” Karen Worchester, the executive director of Wreaths Across America, said Tuesday on NewsNation’s “Morning in America”.

Worchester continued, “The teach piece of our mission is the most important, and we teach our kids to love this county and be proud to be Americans by introducing them to the names and the stories of the people that we honor.”

Wreaths can be sponsored for $15 each.

National Wreaths Across America Day is set for Saturday, Dec. 18.

To sponsor a wreath or to find a location near you to volunteer, visit wreathsacrossamerica.org.