(Life Gives You Lemons Tree | Photo courtesy of Hospice of Redmond)
For the second year, Hospice of Redmond’s annual fundraising event, Festival of Trees, has kicked off as Tour of Trees 2021. In its 38th year, the event features 24 locally decorated Christmas trees on display in local businesses throughout Redmond. Viewing of trees is possible both online and in-person through December 4, 2021.
Like last year, the event has transformed to allow the community to participate and support local businesses while maintaining safe distancing. The event offers online and in-person viewing of the trees hosted by local businesses throughout Redmond. There will also be both an online and a televised auction. Online bidding runs November 30-December 4, 2021, with the televised auction held from 7-8pm on December 4, 2021, and aired on KBNZ (Central Oregon Daily). Tree values range from $750 – $5,000.
“We kept the event in Redmond this year to make touring trees easier for viewing,” said Jane McGuire, operations manager at Hospice of Redmond. “With the trees sprinkled throughout Redmond, participants can enjoy viewing the trees in an afternoon, should they choose.”
Last year’s Tour of Trees was successful as an event and brought much-needed traffic into many of our community businesses. However, there was a significant decrease in fundraising over prior years when the event was hosted at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. This is partly due to the in-person auction experience, which builds excitement and competition between bidders. Long-time Festival of Trees auctioneer Paul Schultz of Stokes Auction Group will once again be hosting the live virtual auction with the same exuberance for which he is known and loved.
“I love that Redmond has so many wonderful things you can do during the holidays, such as the Starlight Parade,” said McGuire. “I am grateful that Festival of Trees adds another layer to the season, bringing joy to the community. We like to think of it as the premier event of the season.”
Tree locations, tree descriptions, sponsors, decorators and additional details are posted on the Hospice of Redmond website to encourage viewing and bidding on trees. Also, event signs directing Tour of Trees’ viewers to the tree locations have been placed along the routes.
One hundred percent of the funds raised at Festival of Trees stay in Central Oregon and 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.
“Most of our patients are on Medicare, but sometimes we have younger patients who are uninsured or have insurance that doesn’t cover everything,” said Kayla Bucholz, transitions coordinator at Hospice of Redmond. “Festival of Trees fills in gaps in a person’s insurance and ensures we can provide much-needed care to local people in need.”
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. Any amount is appreciated, and all donations help families in Central Oregon.
hospiceofredmond.org • 541-548-7483
