Press room

MINNEAPOLIS (December 12, 2016) —Starkey® Hearing Technologies is proud to honor our nation’s heroes by sponsoring 1,500 wreaths to honor their service, sacrifice and courage. The evergreen wreaths, adorned with traditional red bows, will be placed at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on Saturday, December 17 as part of Wreaths Across America’s National Wreaths Across America Day. Wreaths will also be placed at cemeteries and memorial sites around the nation to honor fallen veterans.

“On behalf of everyone at Starkey, we are proud to help support Wreaths Across America in honoring our nation’s heroes during the holidays,” Starkey Hearing Technologies Senior Vice President Brandon Sawalich said. “The Starkey family includes many veterans and active service members, and these wreaths are a beautiful way to express our gratitude for their service, sacrifice, and bravery.”

As the only American owned and operated provider of hearing technologies, Starkey Hearing Technologies is proud to support those who have served our country with the best in American innovation including a suite of revolutionary hearing technologies and extensive hearing loss resources.

The Wreaths Across America Story

The honorary placement of holiday wreaths on veteran graves originally began in 1992 when Morrill Worcester’s Worcester Wreath Company ended up with a surplus of wreaths toward the end of the holiday season. Inspired by Worcester’s childhood trip to Arlington National Cemetery, the company along with James Prout, owner of Blue Bird Ranch, Inc., volunteers from the local American Legion and VFW Posts, and members of the Maine State Society of Washington, D.C., helped place wreaths in the older sections of Arlington National Cemetery. The tribute became an annual occurrence, garnering national attention in 2005 after a snowy photo went viral online. Since its inaugural year, the movement has grown to involve cemeteries and memorial sites around the world. In 2014, over 700,000 memorial wreathes were laid at 1,000 locations in the United States and beyond, with 226,525 alone to cover all of Arlington National Cemetery.

To learn more about Wreaths Across America and National Wreaths Across America Day, please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.

About Starkey Hearing Technologies

Starkey Hearing Technologies is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded in 1967, the company is recognized for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. The company develops, manufactures and distributes hearing aids via three distinct brands – Audibel, NuEar and its original brand, Starkey. Starkey Hearing Technologies currently employs more than 4,800 people and operates 21 facilities and conducts business in more than 100 markets worldwide. For more information, visit www.starkey.com.