Trees at Festival do much more than raise money for hospital
by St. John’s Lutheran Hospital
December 23, 2008
Behind all the twinkling lights, the shimmering gala attire, and the festive bantering of the live auction, something else, far beyond fundraising, was taking place at this year’s SJLH Festival of Trees.
Each year this event is successful in raising dollars for St. John’s Lutheran Hospital, but the best-kept secret is that this fundraiser keeps giving far into the holiday season. Many times the live auction trees are donated back to families who can’t afford a tree and trimmings; this year was no exception.
Early Sunday morning following the Festival, the St. John’s Lutheran Hospital Foundation Board members shed their gala finery for work clothes, and set-out to clean up the Memorial Center, part of which includes dismantling and delivering trees to families in our area. "This year was out best year ever," stated KC Hoyer, Executive Director of the Foundation. "With the help of Alex Eanes, Director of Families in Partnership and the volunteer help of five wonderful young men from Libby High, we dismantled and delivered three trees with all the trimmings to Families in Partnership to be given to families in need. What an awesome feeling to know that the Festival keeps giving through-out the holidays."
When asked why donors spend thousands of dollars on trees and then donate them back, Hoyer smiled and answered, "The donors who purchase these trees aren’t trying to find the best deal on a Christmas Tree, or the presents that come with the tree, they are raising money for a worthy cause, something they deeply and passionately believe in.
Donating the trees beyond the Festival is just kindhearted giving--the type of giving that comes from people who genuinely care about other people. These donors have been blessed with success and want to spread some happiness to those that are less fortunate. They definitely put the ‘fun’ in fundraising."
This year the tree that drew the most attention was themed "A Child’s Dream". The tree was created and donated by John and Dejon Ague, local realtors who are fondly referred to as the A-Team. "John and Dejon, a father-daughter team, literally put their hearts and souls into that tree, not to mention hundreds of dollars. A Child’s Dream tree was magical," added Hoyer. "I know that what John and Dejon had in mind was for a donor to purchase the tree, and then give the hundreds of toys under it to families who have fallen on hardship and can not afford to purchase these things this season. The donor who purchased the tree for $2,400, who would like to remain anonymous, did exactly that. He gave the tree back to the Hospital Foundation, to find it a home, and brought all the gifts to his local church to find homes for them as well. That is the true spirit of giving. The Child’s Dream tree ended up being a dream come true for many families in our area. I know John and Dejon are very happy with the outcome. And the donor, well, he’s just that kind of person who thinks of others first."
The giving didn’t stop there said Hoyer. "Our highest bidders are a couple that used to call Libby home, but now live elsewhere. They have a true desire to help make Libby a wonderful place to live, and they have really upped the ante at the Festival," said Hoyer. "Their presence at the Festival has taken the event to the next level, and we are eternally grateful to them. They choose to spread their good fortune in Libby, a choice that has had a very positive impact for St. John’s. For years they have been making the Festival an annual event, and each year they donate their trees, with trimmings to families in our area. And just so you know, the trimmings on those live auction trees are outstanding."
The Festival of Trees is a two-day community holiday tradition held by the volunteer Foundation Board at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital. The first day is a Santa Wonderland Community night and the second a Gala Fundraiser. The community night-Santa Wonderland saw well over 700 smiling faces, with the Kootenai Karacters providing an enchanting Santa Wonderland. Kids of all ages enjoyed winding through the 28 festively decorated trees, train displays, face painting, ornament making, and story time to find their way to Santa. "The community night is a joint effort," added Hoyer. "We could not offer all that we do without the help of the Kootenai Karacters, SJLH Auxiliary, Don’s Depot, LHS face painting and ornament making student volunteers, the Lincoln County Libraries, and all the businesses and organizations who take the time to enter a tree. It takes a community to pull off an event of this magnitude, and once again we pulled it off in fine style."
The Gala raised over $50,000 for the building fund at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital. The live auction trees, at this year’s event, were donated by First National Bank--The City of Eagles Tree, Glacier Bank-Ace Hardware--The Tool Tree, the USFS Employees--Wild Flowers On The Kootenai, Lincoln County Credit Union--An Old Fashioned Montana Christmas, John and Dejon Ague--A Child’s Dream, and the Imaging Department at St. John’s Lutheran Hospital – Health Rocks Tree. "Our live auction donors spend countless hours trimming their trees and we truly appreciate all the effort that they put forth, obviously it has really paid off," commented Hoyer. The real star of the evening was the 3rd annual quilt created and donated by the Tender Lov’n Quilt Guild in Troy, which sold for $4,000.
For more information about the Festival, contact KC Hoyer, 406-293-0106.
|
