Local Students Build ‘Wreaths of Hope’ for Weekend Charity Event

Hub City Supply was filled with half-finished wreaths and tables covered in green needles Monday afternoon. Sybil Kuhn and her team of Centralia High School and W.F. West students spent the day crafting wreaths for the ‘Wreaths of Hope’ charity event to take place this Saturday.

“Once you can get the students on board, they’re pretty excited about it,” Kuhn said. “I’ve never had anybody come to the event and not have a great time.”

Wreaths of Hope, an event where people can build their own wreaths for the holidays, collects money for spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA. The disease affects the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord and takes away the ability to walk, eat or breathe. It’s the No. 1 genetic cause of death in infants.

In 2005, Kuhn began organizing Wreaths of Hope to raise awareness for this disease after she babysat a little girl who was diagnosed with SMA.

“I watched her for (the) first few years of (her) life,” Kuhn said. “When she started going to school, basically, I stopped watching her. But I wanted to get the word out of what SMA was. I just came up with this event and all the funds go toward this disease and trying to find a cure. Right now, they don’t have a cure, so any little bit of hope is sometimes all we’ve got.”

Saturday’s event will have premade wreaths available for people to purchase ($25), or to craft themselves ($20). The money goes to the organization Cure SMA.

Ultimately, though, the event is more about education and community participation than about the money it raises, Kuhn said. She would not comment on the amount the event brought in last year, but noted that each wreath only costs $20 or $25.

“It’s more about just the time being spent with each other,” Kuhn said. “If I give numbers, then people will think it’s not worth the time, sometimes. … It’s more about the education and having a great time. We do this as a volunteer service to the community and to spread the word. It’s not a big money maker, but it’s a lot of fun. Sometimes it’s not all about the money.”

Kuhn said she expected approximately 15 students from Centralia High School and W.F. West High School combined to volunteer. In addition, some of those students will assist people who wish to craft their own wreaths on Saturday.

“It has grown every year, and I noticed the need for having premade wreaths,” Kuhn said. “A lot of times, people just want to order a wreath. … I noticed a lot of times people want to be charitable, but they don’t want to build one. So, I wanted to fill that void and have premade wreaths on hand. Of course, I’m only one person, so it takes a while to build one wreath and I needed help.”

W.F. West High School students Lexis Haller and Megan Pallas were both in the middle of crafting their second wreaths of the day early Monday afternoon. Pallas said she has come to the event for the past three years. 

Haller said this is her first year, but she has made wreaths before. She said there isn’t a secret to learning to make them.

“You learn as you go,” Haller said.

The length of time it takes to craft a wreath depends on the person, their skill level, and how much care they put into it. For Kuhn, one wreath takes about 45 minutes to craft. Her mother taught her to craft the wreaths, she said, and can create several in an hour.

“She has been making wreaths since I was around,” Kuhn said. “When I bought my first house, she showed me. She said ‘You should always have a wreath on your door.’ So she showed me how to make one and I have been making them ever since.”

Kuhn said the wreaths sell out every year, and that she is aiming to bring 75 to the event this Saturday.

Wreaths of Hope will take place from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds under the grandstand. There will be vendors that center around the crafting theme, food vendors, a few auction items, face painting for the kids, balloon twisting and live bands all day.