Hospice of Redmond revamps Festival of Trees amid COVID-19
This year, instead, a 'Tour of Trees'
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Hospice of Redmond’s annual fundraising event, Festival of Trees, is being transformed into a COVID-friendly event for the first time in 36 years.
The event will feature a Tour of Trees to support local businesses and community partners while allowing for safe social distancing. The two-week event will lead up to and culminate with a virtual auction to support various hospice services for the uninsured.
“We understand the impact COVID-19 has had on our community and feel strongly about continuing the tradition of Festival of Trees,” said Karla Stead, executive director of Hospice of Redmond. “We hope that honoring this long-time tradition will restore some sense of normalcy within our community and the joy and connection that the Christmas holiday brings.”
Hospice of Redmond formed a committee to rethink Festival of Trees for 2020. Their mission was to develop an alternative that would follow the CDC and Oregon Health Authority guidelines while keeping the community’s best interests and safety in mind.
Hospice of Redmond’s new concept became, Festival of Trees presents Tour of Trees. Tour of Trees will allow the Central Oregon community to enjoy Festival of Trees while safely viewing beautifully decorated trees, either in person or online. The event will also provide a virtual auction scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5.
“We tested this concept by reaching out to a few Festival of Trees long-time supporters and tree decorators to get their views on the concept,” said Jane McGuire, operations manager at Hospice of Redmond. “They loved it.”
Hospice of Redmond is accepting Tree Decorator applications through Sept. 15th. They will match each tree with a host location that is a local business or community partner. Tree Decorators will decorate the trees at the host location on November 18th – 21st. Tree viewing will occur November 21st – December 5th.
Tree locations, tree descriptions, sponsors, decorators and additional details will be posted on social media to encourage viewing and bidding on trees. Also, event signs directing Tour of Trees’ viewers to the tree locations will be placed along the route. Trees will be auctioned during a live virtual auction on Saturday, December 5th.
Funds raised at Festival of Trees make it possible for Hospice of Redmond to provide services to terminally ill people and their families not covered by Medicare or private insurance. These 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.
For more information about Tour of Trees 2020, 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. Any amount is appreciated, and all donations help families in Central Oregon.
