The Festival of Trees is spreading the spirit of Christmas and encouraging people to give

The Festival of Trees is underway at the Alan & Jean Millar Centre. After taking a hiatus in 2020 due to COVID, the popular event is back to bringing seasonal cheer to the front hallway at the AJMC. Local businesses or people can sponsor a Christmas tree and decorate it. The tree then goes on display, and people can purchase tickets towards a draw for each individually decorated specimen. Funds raised from the event go towards the Boys and Girls Club of Whitecourt and District (BGC) and play an impactful role in helping the organization run programs for area youth.

Kyria Baranowski, executive director of the BGC, said the fundraiser has a wraparound approach. “Businesses donate to us, and in turn, we feature them, give them an advertising opportunity to anyone walking through the Millar Centre as well as online advertising through our Facebook page. It gives us the chance to raise unrestricted funding that we roll over into  January so that it gives us a good chunk of money to start the new year off.”

Baranowski said that grants tend to start slowly in the new year and don’t become available until February or March. Having funding to get through that time is extremely important. Not only does the event raise money for a great cause, but it also brings Christmas cheer to those that are less fortunate. When someone wins a tree, they can either keep it or donate it back to the BGC. “If trees get donated back to us, it’s a chance for us to give back to our community. We donate these to families that might be struggling,” explained Baranowski.

Organizations that have received trees in the past include Wellspring Family Resource and Crisis Centre. “What Wellspring then does is that clients that are using the outreach services or maybe are leaving the shelter over Christmas break and moving into a new place and who don’t have a Christmas tree yet, they can give these donated trees to those clients.”

This year twelve trees were donated. “They are all equally unique. Four of the trees are coming with awesome prize packages too. Our prize trees this year have been donated by Fabutan ($340 tanning and redlight package), Starbucks ($100 gift cards and a coffee and mug gift basket), Whitecourt Ford ($200 swag bag featuring cups and sweaters), and OKO Shop and Refillery (hand soap, candles, and tea basket),” explained Baranowski.

She said that though not all trees come with extravagant prizes, each one features beautiful or unique decorations to suit any taste. “There are some amazing trees up there! Two feature trees that tickets are flying off the shelves for were donated by Family Dental Health and New Venture Safety Services. Those trees are flocked with that beautiful fake snow on them. The effort that went into decorating those trees is just incredible.”

The staff at the AJMC donated a tree and made it extra special. “It’s grinch-themed, so it’s almost an upside-down tree which is really neat.” Another unique tree, donated by Whitecourt Stationary and Dearest My Lovely Quilting by Tammy, is entirely handmade. “It is a sewn tree. It’s gorgeous.”

Danali’s Handyman and Rental Services donated the biggest tree in the hallway. “It’s nearly an eight-foot tree with incredible decorations on it,” said Baranowski. “We’ve also got a money tree donated by Hendrickson Black, which is Monopoly-themed and comes with the Monopoly board game.” Local industry leader Millar Western also got in on the fun by donating a tree decorated with nostalgic pieces like donuts and snowmen. “Carpetown Interiors donated a purple tree that has gold and rose gold decorations all over it. It’s so pretty. We’ve got really unique trees, and the amount of time and money that businesses put into making these shine is absolutely astounding. Every business that donated puts a lot of time and effort into these trees because they want this to be a successful fundraiser for us. We are thankful for their dedication!”

Tickets supporting the fundraiser can be purchased one of two ways until December 17. Residents can see the trees in person by visiting the AJMC and walking along the front hallway. Each tree features a unique QR code. After scanning it, a link will open up, allowing residents to purchase a ticket quickly and easily. The other option is to visit the BGC Facebook page and peruse the albums created for each tree. Links are listed for purchasing tickets.

“We made the decision, because of COVID, that this year we would move our ticket sales online. We understand that the Allan & Jean Millar Centre is participating in the Restrictions Exemption Program, so not everybody can enter that building depending on their vaccination status,” said Baranowski. With the change, she said they saw public buy-in very quickly. “We raised over $500 in four days. So, this is one of the quickest selling Festival of Trees that we’ve ever done. I know being online can be a barrier, especially for senior citizens, but we are very thankful that ticket sales have been going as quickly as they have thanks to it being online.”

Baranowski said that her favourite part about the Festival of Trees is that it puts her into the Christmas spirit. “It encompasses what Christmas is supposed to be about. It looks like Christmas. It feels like Christmas. And it’s nice to see the community come together and enjoy this fundraiser. We are so thankful and grateful. Running an event like this would not be possible without the community purchasing tickets and the businesses donating trees.” Tickets are on sale until December 17.