Volunteers to spruce up Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery

Will County — Volunteers will be dispatched to Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood on Thursday for the annual Saluting Branches landscaping and clean up event.

The Joliet-area cemetery, located at 20953 West Hoff Road, has been part of the event every year since it began in 2015, with around 100 volunteers usually coming out to help clean up and beautify the military cemetery.

Volunteers are slated to work at the cemetery from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday with a break for a lunch provided by D’Arcy GMC.

This year Joliet City Arborist Jim Tieber, who serves as the site manager for the cemetery project, reported that 90 volunteers had signed up in advance, and that he anticipated around 20 additional people would volunteer on the morning of, based on previous turnouts.

Most of the volunteers each year are arborists and workers from landscaping and tree removal companies in the area that also donate equipment to the effort. However, volunteers without professional experience are also welcome to do some of the less-intense cleanup and planting work around the gravesites and walkways.

In 2023, the team worked to remove multiple large oak trees from the cemetery which were considered a safety hazard due to their old age. This year’s effort is focused on pruning and cleaning up the trees around the memorial walkway area, according to Tieber.

D Ryan Tree Service from DeKalb will be planting new trees near the cemetery entrance, thanks to a $20,000 donation from CenterPoint to purchase trees.

Other businesses making contributions to the project are Abbott Tree Care, the city of Naperville, Kramer Tree Care, Davey Tree Service, Lutheran Disaster Response, and Wheaton’s Catigny Park.

Saluting Branches is held every September and works to beautify more than 100 military cemeteries each year including locations in Mexico City and Puerto Rico.

“Our organization is all about beautifying land dedicated to veterans, and cemeteries hold a special place in the hearts of veterans and their families,” said Babette Hurt, Saluting Branches board assistant and logistics committee member. “We’re very grateful for all our national sponsors and volunteers.”