Memorial Day 2026 Special Edition
Our pillars and core partnerships that support and honor those that serve.
As we approach Memorial Day weekend, Neighbors in Service honors fallen heroes while supporting the veterans, military families, and first responders who continue to serve our community. This sacred day of remembrance calls us not only to pause and reflect, but to act—ensuring that the sacrifice of our nation’s heroes translates into lasting support for those who protect and serve.
Neighbors in Service launched in January 2026, and we’re approaching our first six months. From vision to action: we’ve trained 37 Azarians in suicide prevention, launched our Everyday Money financial wellness program for veterans on fixed incomes, joined the Manatee County Veterans Council, and supported several veteran service organizations with volunteers and donations—including Dogs Inc, Homes for Our Troops, Manatee County Veterans Services, Operation Warrior Resolution, and SRQ VETS.
This Memorial Day, we focus on two flagship partnerships that embody our mission to honor sacrifice through remembrance and education: Wreaths Across America and Folds of Honor. Both offer tangible ways to turn gratitude into action—to ensure those who made the ultimate sacrifice are never forgotten, and those they left behind always have our support.
May 2026 Community Update: For our calendar of events and program details, visit https://shorturl.at/aLQid
Neighbors in Service operates through three pillars: Educate (equipping veterans, military families, and first responders with practical tools and mentoring), Strengthen (helping veteran-serving organizations grow their capacity and impact), and Honor (ensuring the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes are never forgotten). Our two flagship partnerships—Wreaths Across America and Folds of Honor—exemplify this mission, translating remembrance into tangible support for those who served and the families they left behind.
Remember · Honor · Teach
On December 19, 2026, National Wreaths Across America Day, communities across the country will gather at cemeteries to place wreaths on veterans’ graves—a coordinated moment of remembrance and gratitude. Neighbors in Service has partnered with Wreaths Across America to ensure that local heroes resting in Manatee County are honored.
More than 1,700 veterans rest at Mansion Memorial Park in Ellenton, just minutes from Azario. Across Manatee County’s 49 private cemeteries, over 8,600 documented veterans are buried—many choosing hometown cemeteries to rest near family, in the communities they came home to protect. Unlike the coordinated efforts at national cemeteries, there is no organized initiative to honor every veteran in Manatee’s private hometown cemeteries. Neighbors in Service is changing that, starting with Mansion Memorial Park.
Memorial Day honors the fallen. Wreaths Across America ensures they are remembered year-round. This Memorial Day Weekend, you can sponsor a wreath ($17 each) to be placed on a veteran’s grave this December—a simple act of remembrance that says, “You are not forgotten.”
Sponsor a wreath: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/FL0675P or use the QR code below.
Honor Their Sacrifice. Educate Their Legacy.
Folds of Honor provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled military service members and first responders. Since its founding in 2007 by Lt Col Dan Rooney, Folds of Honor has awarded 73,000 scholarships nationwide with a total educational impact of $340 million. The folded flag—presented to families of the fallen—serves as a constant reminder of those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
Memorial Day reminds us that freedom isn’t free. The families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice continue to face real challenges. Education opens doors to opportunity, but too many deserving families can’t afford it. In Florida alone, 845 scholarships were awarded during the 2025-2026 academic year totaling $3.9 million—yet nationwide, 7,700 qualified applicants went unfunded.
When we support Folds of Honor, we invest in the futures of those left behind. We honor fallen heroes by ensuring their children have access to the educational opportunities their parents fought to protect. This Memorial Day, your donation provides scholarships that transform lives and honor legacies.
Donate to provide educational scholarships: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/e/jyRPhw?vid=1q1nm4 or use the QR code below.
Remember · Honor · Serve
Remember. This Memorial Day weekend, pause to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Attend memorial services. Teach children why we remember. Hold their sacrifice sacred.
Honor. Turn remembrance into action. Sponsor a wreath for Wreaths Across America. Donate to Folds of Honor scholarships. Support the organizations serving those who served. Let gratitude become service.
Serve. Join Neighbors in Service as we build a community that never forgets and never stops serving. Because those who gave all deserve communities that give back—not just on Memorial Day, but every day.
Never forget means never stop serving.
CONTACT & DONATE:
Wreaths Across America: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/FL0675P
Folds of Honor: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/e/jyRPhw?vid=1q1nm4
May 2026 Community Update: For our calendar of events and program details, visit https://shorturl.at/aLQid
Neighbors in Service
📧 info@neighborsinservice.org 📱 Team Reach Code: AZNIS4VETS
👍 facebook.com/neighborsInservice
Neighbors in Service is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 33-1691201)