Wherl Productions is working in partnership with the Sgt Mac Foundation to produce a fund raising commercial for the National Wreath Project. Previously, the Brian LaViolette Foundation hired Wherl Productions to document their involvement in assisting the Sgt Mac Foundation and Gettysburg High School in creating an annual scholarship in the name of Marine Sergeant Eric McColley. Sgt McColley was a 2000 graduate of Gettysburg High School, and soon after, Eric decided to serve his country and became a Marine. While serving our country in Iraq he was killed along with seven fellow Marines and two Airmen when two Marine helicopters collided off the coast of Djibouti, Africa on February 17, 2006. Eric, like so many other servicemen and women gave his live doing what he loved, serving his country. The scholarship proudly goes to a student of Gettysburg High School each year in Eric’s name.

During this project we were fortunate enough to meet and work with John and Susan McColley, the parents of Eric McColley. While working with the McCollys we learned of their deep and enduring passion to preserve their sons memory, to help those who have also lost a child, and to honor those who have paid the ultimate price in serving our country. One way the McCollys have chosen to honor our fallen was to start the National Wreath Project. Each holiday season John and Susan would place a wreath on their sons grave at the Quantico National Cemetery in Quantico Virginia. The following holiday season, they would place a new wreath on Eric\’s grave and place the previous seasons wreath on another Marines grave. It was not long until they wanted to do more. This grew into the National Wreath Project. Each year the McCollys, along with hundreds of volunteers, gather in the parking lot of Giant Food Stores in Gettysburg, PA. The volunteers decorate the wreaths and put them into pods for transport. Giant, a proud supporter of the project, donates the parking lot and supply the wreath at cost. ABF Freight Systems, another proud supporter of the project, supplies and ships pods to Quantico National Cemetery, where hundreds more volunteers place the wreaths on grave sites throughout the cemetery. Volunteers from Quantico, VA , Annapolis, MD, Gettysburg High School’s Jr. R.O.T.C. program, Gettysburg Battlefield Detachment of the Marine Corps League, American Legion Post 202 and, of course, Stan Clark all helped to work on this amazing project.

Wherl Productions, holding to our beliefs that it is important to support our community and are proud to be a part of the National Wreath Project. We have partnered with the McColly’s to make a commercial that will help raise awareness, funds and volunteers to sustain and broaden the project for years to come. At this time the National Wreath Project is able to cover approximately 10 percent of the grave sites at Quantico National Cemetery. It is our goal to see the entire cemetery covered so that no fallen soldier is forgotten during the holiday season. Please consider donating to this worthy cause.

Visit sgtmac.org for more information. Click here to see the spot.