Hospice of Redmond’s annual fundraising event, Festival of Trees, will be a COVID-friendly virtual event for a second year in a row.
The two-week event will feature a Tour of Trees, which folks can enjoy both virtually and socially distanced in-person, to support local businesses and community partners.
The trees will be virtually auctioned off at the end of the event.
“COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on our community, as healthcare providers we feel we must do whatever we can to keep our community safe,” said Karla Stead, Executive Director of Hospice of Redmond.
“We also feel the importance of keeping our annual Festival of Trees tradition alive in the hearts of our community.”
Festival of Trees has taken place in Central Oregon for 37 years, and it helps fund Hospice of Redmond’s care services as their largest yearly fundraiser.
The live virtual auction will take place Saturday, Dec. 4, and trees will be delivered to winners on Dec. 5.
Hospice of Redmond is accepting Tree Decorator applications through Sept. 30, and they will match each tree with a local business or community partner as a host location.
Tree Decorators will decorate the trees at their locations from Nov. 17-20, and the tree viewing will happen Nov. 21-Dec 4.
The nonprofit will post the tree locations, descriptions, sponsors, decorators, and additional details on social media and on the Hospice of Redmond website.
“We are still looking for Redmond businesses who want to host the trees,” said Jane McGuire, Operations Manager at Hospice of Redmond.
“We loved that Tour of Trees brought traffic into many of our local businesses last year. The trees must be placed in a large window so people can safely view it from outside if the business is closed or the viewer isn’t comfortable entering the facility.”
Funds raised through Festival of Trees go towards care for terminally ill people and their families, for services not covered by Medicare or private insurance.
The services include bereavement counseling, the Transitions program for people with life-limiting illnesses, and Camp Sunrise, an annual grief camp for children throughout Central Oregon.
Last year’s virtual event saw a significant decrease in fundraising compared to years prior, and the nonprofit aims to have even more tree decorators and sponsors participate this year.
Owner of Herringbone Books Brandon Weimer hosted a tree in his Redmond business last year and felt it was a huge success.
“People not only stopped in on the sidewalks to see the beautiful tree but also brought foot traffic into the business,” said Mr. Weimer.
“I am selfishly happy it’s happening again for the additional foot traffic and a beautiful display in my window as it saves me from having to decorate for the season. The impact financially was also positive and there’s no downside.”
For more information about Tour of Trees 2021, contact Hospice of Redmond at (541) 548-7483 or email festivaloftrees@hospiceofredmond.org.
If you wish to support Hospice of Redmond through giving, please visit their website hospiceofredmond.org and click the donate button.
