By Chantel Rhodes
The Festival of Trees is as much a community tradition as it is an important fundraiser for Primary Children”s Medical Center.
The festival, which collects and displays donated Christmas trees to raise money for the Medical Center, will be Dec. 4-7 at the South Towne Expo Center in Salt Lake. Tree displays will be open from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. each day.
Organizations and individuals have made contributing Christmas trees to the festival an annual tradition that people look forward to all year.
LaRae Larsen of Pleasant Grove has donated her time and creativity to create holiday trees and scenes for 27 years.
For her it”s a way she can help children with serious medical needs, the way Primary Children”s helped her infant daughter almost 40 years ago.
Larsen said when her daughter, Teresa Renee, was two weeks old, her doctor knew Teresa would not live long.
Teresa spent all but the first and last month of her seven-month life in the hospital.
Larsen said her experience with the doctors and nurses at Primary Children”s was wonderful.
“They just take such good care of them up there,” she said. “That”s my charity.”
This year, Larsen”s theme for her donated tree is birds. Birdhouses and birds will adorn her Christmas trees.
Next year, she said she plans to do a jungle animal theme.
Larsen said the best part is to see the finished project when it comes together.
Larsen said her six sisters also participate in the festival, decorating trees and making quilts.
This year she said they are working together on an air-med quilt in memory of Larsen”s nephew, registered nurse Shayne Carnahan, who was killed with two other men in 1998 when the air-med helicopter they were in crashed during a rescue attempt.
Valjean and Martha Williams of Orem have not experienced such tragedies first hand, which is why Williams said they enjoy donating trees to the festival each year.
It”s a way they can help others who have not been as fortunate as they have been, they said.
Valjean Williams said their first tree, donated in 1972, was club sponsored.
The next year their club didn”t sponsor a tree, so they decided to do one on their own, he said.
“It takes a lot of money to do one,” Williams said.
This year, the Williams” tree is “Victorian Dream,” decorated in white and gold.
The festival has been successfully raising funds for Primary Children”s Medical Center for 32 years, according to a recent news release. More than 80 volunteers coordinate small committees throughout the state to organize the program.
Last year, the festival raised over $1 million for the hospital.
Earlene Rex, festival publicity chair, said the hospital does not set a fundraising goal because they appreciate all donations and use them to help pay for medical care for families who may not be able to cover the cost on their own.
This year, the festival will feature 600 Christmas trees, as well as a gift boutique, baked goods, a Santa Land for children and live entertainment.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at Zions Bank and Brighton Bank.
