Festival of Trees Helps Local Charities Grow
With an array of bells and balls, the Festival of Trees held at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel has become a tradition for area charities.
"Fifteen years ago we started this to raise money for charity," said Tom Riccardi, general manager of the hotel. "It took off, and now it's become a community event."
| The trees will remain on display until Jan. 1 and donations will be accepted in the hotel lobby through then. Other participating charities included The Family Support Center of New Jersey in Manasquan, Alyssa's Angels in West Long Branch, Amanda's Easel/Friends of Amanda sponsored by 180 Turning Lives Around in Hazlet, Embracing Hospice Care in Sea Girt, The Ronald McDonald House in Long Branch, LADACIN Network in Ocean Township, Monmouth Center Vocational Rehabilitation in Eatontown, Community YMCA in Red Bank, Parker Family Health Clinic in Red Bank, The Volunteer Center of Monmouth County in Long Branch, Wanamassa Volunteer Fire Auxiliary Co. in Ocean, HABcore in Red Bank and the Alzheimer's Association, sponsored by Jersey Shore Center, Genesis Health Center in Neptune. |
Each year, charity organizations spend the day after Thanksgiving to mid-December planning their themes and decorating their trees. And on Dec. 14, the community was invited to cast their ballots, or rather dollars, in support of the charities.
Among them was The Arc of Monmouth County, Tinton Falls, a support and advocacy organization for individuals with developmental disabilities. Their "Circle of Friends" group spent hours making snowmen ornaments for the tree.
"The Circle of Friends are our higher-function members," said Andrea Rissetto of the group's recreation department. "This is a good event for our guys. They come together and do this as a community."
Down the hall was the Project Linus NJ tree assembled by the Fort Monmouth Blanketeers. The Blanketeers is one of the many volunteer crews that crochet and knit blankets for for children suffering from serious illness or trauma.
Around the corner was a recycled tree put together by the students from the School for Children in Eatontown. With close to 150 students from the ages of 3 to 21, the school provides special education for those with moderate to severe disabilities.
"We decorated pudding cups with cut up pieces of CD-ROM," said art teacher Sara Stockton of the silver ornaments hung with recycled plastic bags. "We stapled together last year's Christmas cards to make the skirt and used chimney flashing for the ornament on top of the tree."
Although it was their first year participating in the festival, the school's choir, led by music director Casey Baud, provided entertainment with their rendition of "Santa Baby" and "Jingle Bell Rock."
Entertainment also included the "Dancin' Divas" from SCAN, an adult learning center for those 50 and older. With a compilation of mambo and waltz dance steps the ladies sashayed to "Old Time Rock and Roll," and the Village People's "YMCA."
In the end it was newcomer Jeremy's Heroes that took in the most donations. The Woodbridge-based charity used sports-themed ornaments made by members of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta and Harlem Street Squash, both groups the charity supports, and Girl Scout Troop 503 of Fair Haven, to name a few.
Created in honor of Jeremy Logan Glick, a former Judo national champion and one of the five passengers who thwarted terrorist efforts aboard United's Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, the group provides financial support to student athletes.
Deborah Heart and Lung Center Foundation's Long Branch chapter took second with their classic red ball ornaments, white lights and gold star. And coming in third was The Center in Asbury Park's memorial tree with angels ornaments dedicated to those who lost their lives to AIDS this past year.
In addition to the trees, the students of the Culinary Education Center of Monmouth County provided gingerbread houses that were raffled off later in the evening.
"The proceeds will be split between the FoodBank of Monmouth - Ocean County and each of the charities," said chef Bill Hahn.
Raising more than $14,000 for the charities, Whiteside said in a telephone conversation following the event that it was a very successful evening.
Michelle Gladden: (732) 643-4204 or mgladden@app.com