A nonprofit is recruiting volunteers to help lay Christmas wreaths on more than 7,000 graves of fallen military members next month in Suffolk’s Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery.

The Horton Wreath Society — an organization committed to adorning every grave in the state-run veterans’ cemetery with a live evergreen wreath — will spend Dec. 12 placing the wreaths at the cemetery.

“We are always looking for volunteers,” said Betty Hand, the organization’s president. Besides placing wreaths, volunteers are used to address safety and logistics issues and help family members track down their relatives’ headstones.

The wreaths are being made and shipped from the Maine-based company that produces similar wreaths for Arlington National Cemetery, Hand said. Each wreath costs $8.50, and the trucks and drivers transporting them to Virginia are donations, she said.

Part of the Horton Wreath Society’s mission is to educate younger generations, Hand said. All children — whether they come with family members or as part of an organization, such as a church group — will be paired with active duty military or retired soldiers who are volunteering. For example, she said, mentors may ask the children to read the soldiers’ headstones and determine which war they fought in.

“We want these kids to know this is not just some stone in the ground,” Head said. “We want them to learn how to interpret the headstones and to make sure they understand the sacrifices each soldier made so we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.”

Throughout the year, organizations, families and individuals make donations to the Horton Wreath Society, Hand said. All money being raised now will help fund next year’s wreaths, she said.

Typically, many volunteers are relatives or close friends of deceased soldiers buried in Horton, Hand said. One woman, whose husband is buried there, comes from Florida every year to participate.

Every year, people come up and thank society members, expressing their gratitude that someone looks after their loved ones during the holidays, Hand said.

That is also how Hand, who is retired military, got involved. Her mother and father, a World War II veteran, are buried in Horton, and she currently has twin sons in the Army.

“It’s personal to me,” she said. “I want to make sure our veterans get the recognition they deserve.”

Suffolk’s wreath project is so successful that Virginia’s two other state-owned veterans’ cemeteries, in Dublin and Amelia, are trying to replicate it, Hand said.

The program on Dec. 12 will kick off with the laying of the ceremonial row of wreaths at 9 a.m. Then at 10 a.m., those with relatives interred in Horton will have the opportunity to place wreaths on their family members’ graves.

Then the general wreath placements by veterans, military, fraternal organizations, Scout troops and other volunteers will begin, hand said. Volunteers are not required to sign up in advance, although it would be appreciated, Hand said.

The wreath society will hold a formal ceremony once the last wreath has been placed, Hand said. The ceremony will include a guest speaker, music and a final procession.

Volunteers are asked to show up no later than 9:30 a.m. at the cemetery, 5310 Milners Road, Suffolk. With parking becoming increasingly limited, Hand is asking volunteers to carpool to the cemetery when possible. Last year, she added, approximately 3,000 volunteers showed up to help.

For information, call Hand at 901-568-0521 or go to the organization’s website, http://www.hortonwreathsociety.webs.com.