Festival fundraiser brings beauty to the AJMC for a great local cause

For the last five years, the beginning of December meant it was time for
beautifully decorated trees to light up the Allan and Jean Millar Centre
hallway to help raise necessary funds for the Boys and Girls Club (BGC)
Whitecourt and District, and this year is no exception.
Each year, generous local businesses participate by decorating a tree in
any way they like and donating it to the cause. Once on display at the
AJMC, community members can purchase raffle tickets on any number
of trees they wish.
For 2023, eleven trees were decorated and donated. The generous
businesses with trees in the raffle are Whitecourt Stationery, Complete
Projects, Family Dental Health, White Wall Wood, New Venture Safety
Services, Alta Tech Environmental Services, Get Smart Interiors,
Whitecap Resources Inc., Allan & Jean Millar Centre, Co-Operators, and
50th Avenue Dental.
Kyria Baranowski, Executive Director of BGC, said seeing all the trees
lined up shows how supportive the community is. “Local businesses
have donated all of these trees for us to make this event possible. The
raffle tickets are $10 each, and all proceeds go to BGC Whitecourt and
District. People can scan the QR cords at the bottom of the tree and
enter for their chance to win a tree of their choosing. Each tree has its
own QR code,” she explained.
For residents wishing to “shop” from home, the BGC Whitecourt and
District Facebook page posts the trees and includes a clickable link for
ticket purchases. “On December 15, the draw is done, a week and a bit
before Christmas. Once we call our winners, they can come to collect a
fully decorated Christmas tree, or alternatively, they also have the

option to donate it back to us, at which point we will actually find a
family in Whitecourt that needs a Christmas tree.”
Baranowski said about ten percent of the trees are donated to the
community. “In the past, we partnered with Soaring Eagle and
Wellspring and worked with some of our own families that use the club.
It allows us to give back to the community from this fundraiser too.”
When the opportunity arises, Baranowski said it makes the fundraiser
that much more special. “It excites me because it is an opportunity to
give back, and the winner gets to have that sense of pride in knowing
that they are gifting a family with something special for this time of
year. We know there are families in the community that don’t get to
have a typical Christmas, or they don’t get to have a tree, so it makes
getting to give someone a tree that much more special.”
Whether winners keep their tree or choose to gift it, the fundraiser is a
big deal for the BGC Whitecourt and District because it gives them
something that can be hard to come by as a non-profit, unrestricted
funds. “When we apply for a grant, it typically ends up being restrictive
in what we can and can’t do with the money. Many grants will fund our
programming but won’t cover admin or behind-the-scenes costs.”
She said grants typically don’t cover staffing, food, or transportation,
which they use to get youth to different events, such as during summer
programming. “We feed a lot of kids throughout the day, too. Grants
also don’t cover things like rent or power, two big costs for us. So, a
fundraiser like this that results in unrestricted funds means we can pay
our staff, rent, and utilities to ensure that the doors stay open at all
times.”
Several local businesses have been part of the fun since day one, and
Baranowski said she is very grateful to them. “Since we started this

fundraiser event in 2018, New Venture has donated yearly, and they
always donate one of the most incredible trees. They take great pride in
donating a tree to us, and we are so thankful for their continued
support.”
Family Dental Health, the Allan and Jean Millar Centre, and Whitecourt
Stationery have also graciously donated a tree each year for the
fundraiser. Baranowski said they put a lot of effort into making magical
trees. She also thanked Staples for helping with their printing needs.
As for the location, Baranowski said it couldn’t be more perfect. “We
love partnering with the Millar Centre because it does get so much foot
traffic. It’s such a community hub here because many people come,
whether for the pool facilities, the gym, or a kid’s activity. Having the
windows here makes these even more awesome. My favourite part of
this fundraiser is driving along Highway 43 in the evening and seeing all
the trees lit up through the window. It absolutely glows.”
BGC Whitecourt and District sees anywhere from 25 to 35 children a
day. This summer was one of their busiest years for summer camp
attendance. “We are excited to be getting back up to our numbers from
pre-COVID. This summer, we saw 30 to 40 kids daily, which was
fantastic.”
To vote on a tree in the Festival of Trees Fundraiser, visit the Allan and
Jean Millar Center or check out the posts on the BGC Whitecourt &
District Facebook page and click the link for the tree you want to
purchase a raffle for. The raffle closes on December 15 at 8 am, and the
draw will follow at 9 am. Winners will be called shortly after. Good luck,
everyone!