COEUR d’ALENE — Wreaths Across America, the national program to honor fallen military veterans who have passed, will take place Saturday at 9 a.m. at Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens.

The Kiwanis Club of Coeur d'Alene is sponsoring the ceremony for its second year. This year, the amount of wreaths that will be placed on gravesites has more than doubled.

“The biggest thing is we went from 450 wreaths to over 1,000," Coeur d'Alene Kiwanis secretary Kathy Bush said Thursday. "We went out one day in the summer and counted the graves and we raised enough money to cover all 1,010 of them."

The ceremony will include representatives and recognition of all branches of the military, as well as for Gold Star families who have lost an immediate family member in the line of duty of military service.

"The Wreaths Across America motto is 'you die twice' — once when you take your last breath, and the next is when nobody speaks your name again," Bush said. "It's just very heart-warming to go out there and see somebody took the time to honor your loved one."

Volunteers are needed to distribute the wreaths at the close of the ceremony. The event is free and open to all. It coincides with the Wreaths Across America program that takes place at noon EST in Arlington National Cemetery.

Coeur d'Alene Memorial Gardens is at 7315 N. Government Way, Coeur d'Alene.

The city of Rathdrum will also host a Wreaths Across America ceremony at Pinegrove Cemetery, 6693 Highway 53, at the same time.

Info: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org