Festival of Trees important to foundation's fundraising
By ROGER MORRIS Western News Publisher
The annual Festival of Trees has not only become a community holiday favorite but it's an important part of the phenomenally successful fundraising efforts by the St. John's Lutheran Hospital Foundation.
The festival and its gala dance will be celebrated at the Memorial Center in Libby on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9-10. The hospital foundation is nearing $1 million in its endowments with most of that money being raised during the past few years.
"Three years ago the hospital decided to give it our best shot at raising $1 million for a permanent endowment," said foundation director KC Hoyer. "We received $100,000 from the LADC (from the Libby Area Development Company's $9 million fund) to kick it off."
Since then it has been business after business, individual after individual and corporation after corporation — every corporation doing business in Libby, says Hoyer — donating money to the endowment.
"New people to the community, who have started or bought businesses, have been generous because they see the value in having a strong hospital and medical services in this area," Hoyer continued. "They realize as the community grows, the hospital will have to continue to grow."
Hoyer gives most of the credit to her 14-member volunteer board.
"These are people running their tails off," she said. "My chairman, Gene Chappell, is also the chairman of the golf course which is presently expanding to 18 holes."
It's a success story that other hospital administrators and fundraisers in Montana find hard to believe, Hoyer said.
"They know how tough things have been in Libby economically and with the asbestos problem and they are amazed," Hoyer said. "But it's this community and it's my board working their tails off."
And St. John's Lutheran Hospital employees have played an important role, too.
"St. John's employees won't ask anything of the community that they are not willing to do themselves," Hoyer said. "We receive $10,000 in annual contributions through payroll deductions from the employees. People ask me all the time how we got them to do that but the employees realize how important this is for them to do there jobs."
And the Festival of Trees plays a "huge" role in the fundraiser, Hoyer said.
"Three years ago, it was making $3,000 for us, this year we will probably make about $20,000 with 200 or more people attending the Festival Gala on Saturday night because it's so much fun."
The 11th annual Festival of Trees begins on Friday, Dec. 9, with Family Night, a fun-filled evening to view Christmas trees, hand-decorated and displayed by local merchants and organizations. The SJLH Auxiliary will serve chili from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. to live holiday piano music and a special appearance by the Treasure Tones. Santa will be on hand to grant their wishes along with holiday craft-making, story time, face-painting and more.
The doors will be open from 3-8 p.m. on Friday. The SJLH Auxiliary Chili Feed is and the live entertainment begins at 6. Admission to view the trees and participate in the events is $2 for adults and as part of the tradition, children under 18 are free.
On Saturday evening, Dec. 10, the Festival of Trees is a one of a kind Holiday Gala. Carl Rey and the Blues Gators band will perform among the Christmas trees, which are decorated by area business and individuals. There will be an auction and raffles, hors d'oeuvres, music and the dazzling ambiance, said Hoyer.
Carl Rey is a 32-year veteran of the jazz and blues scene, known for his strong vocals and clean harmonica sound. He plays frequently around the region, including blues festivals at Ritzville, Sunbanks, Kennewick, Rock Cut, Walla Walla, Spokane and more. Carl Rey has received the Inland Empire Blues Society award for best harmonica in 1999, 2000 and 2001, as well as best male vocalist for 2001. The group has also garnered IEBS nominations for best CD and best blues band 2000 and 2001.
The Festival is the favorite fundraiser of the foundation board because not only do we raise dollars for health care services that benefit everyone in the community but they enjoy themselves doing it, Hoyer said.
The doors open on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. with dancing from 7 to midnight. Tickets are $30 and available at St. John's Lutheran Hospital front desk, Glacier Insurance and the Memorial Center.
Adding to the excitement of this year's Festival of Trees is how close the foundation is to reaching their million-dollar goal for the SJLH Permanent Endowment Fund. Hoyer said the fund is presently at $935,606.46.
"When we reach $1million, the foundation board has decided to give something back to hospital every year from the interest earned on the endowment," Hoyer said. "That's been our goal."
For more information regarding the Festival of Trees or the St. John's Lutheran Hospital Foundation Permanent Endowment, contact KC Hoyer at 293-0106.