Nearly a quarter-century after Joan Donald organized the first Festival of Trees in Red Deer, she stood in awe at how much the event has grown.
“I never envisioned it growing into something like this,” said Donald.
Donald was one of 900 people who filled the Prairie Pavilion in Westerner Park Wednesday for the festival’s preview dinner and silent auction — a gala evening for platinum to silver donors.
This is the 24th Festival of Trees, which is a multi-day event to raise money for the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation. The event has raised nearly $14 million in its history.
The inaugural Festival of Trees was just a dinner and a dance. It took a few years for Red Deerians to get on board with the festival, Donald said.
“People were saying ‘Why are you celebrating trees in November?’ It took a while to get the message out there that we were raising money for the hospital and showing people a good time,” said Donald.
She said it’s important to update the festival each year.
“A policy we have is to keep refreshing it. Even compared to last year, this is quite different. You have to bring new things and take away the old ones to keep it fresh,” she said.
READ MORE: Christmas season in Red Deer begins with Festival of Trees
Krista Spelt, Festival of Trees co-chair, said she’s happy to hold the preview dinner after months of preparation.
“This is an event that’s about stewardship and thanking (the sponsors) and the rest of the community for their generous support of Festival of Trees for 24 years,” said Spelt.
The festival is an excellent kickoff to Christmas, Spelt added.
Terri Williams, the second co-chair, said thanking all those who have donated is important.
“It’s very exciting to see donors, some of whom have been with the festival for 10, 15 or even 24 years. The festival has just kept going thanks to them,” she said.
Robert Bilton, chair of Red Deer Regional Health Foundation, said the volunteers are crucial to the annual event’s success.
“It’s another fantastic event put on by hundreds and hundreds of volunteers who work tirelessly,” he said.
Despite the oil industry being in a downturn, which affects Alberta’s economy, the festival continues to be a success every year, Bilton added.
“The Festival of Trees is always fantastic,” he said. “Even though the economy is facing challenges, we actually have increased the amount of donations that go to the hospital to support health care.”
The money raised at this year’s festival will support hematology and microbiology in the Red Deer Regional Hospital’s laboratory services.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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