PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2013
20th Annual Festival of Trees Raises More Than $220,000 to Support The Baby Fold
Change in venue, greater support and successful events helped Festival exceed fundraising goal
BLOOMINGTON, IL – The Baby Fold held the annual check presentation this evening for the 2013 Festival of Trees. The 20th annual Festival raised $220,981 to help children and families served by The Baby Fold. The funds raised totaled nearly $70,000 more than the 2012 event and $35,000 more than the goal for this year’s Festival of Trees.
“This was a holiday gift way beyond what we wished and hoped for,” Baby Fold President/CEO Dale Strassheim said. “So many people and community organizations dedicated their time and resources to make this event possible. Thanks to their support, we were able to raise critical funds that help support the needs of children and families in our community through programs like Foster Care and Healthy Start.”
This year more than 8,000 guests visited the Festival of Trees at the Interstate Center decorated with hundreds of custom trees, wreaths and holiday decorations. The new venue, lower expenses, record sponsorships, the popularity of Avanti’s Family Night and two sell out events including the Opening Night gala and Breakfast with Santa contributed to increased revenues. In addition, the Festival auction sold 530 holiday items including 78 trees, 69 gingerbread items along with wreaths, centerpieces, celebrity items.
More than 1,500 volunteers are involved in the event; 845 for the set up, operation and tear down of the event.
Highlights from the 2013 Festival included Opening Night, a new Perfect Party Planning event, Café, Book Tree and Avanti’s Family Night Breakfast with Santa. The Festival of Trees is the single largest fundraising event of the year for The Baby Fold and was held November 22-24. This year set a new record for support through the Festival.
The 2014 Festival is scheduled for November 21-23 with Opening Night on November 20, 2014.
About The Baby Fold
The Baby Fold is committed to serving the needs of the most vulnerable children and families in our community. The Festival of Trees is a key fundraiser that helps to support the programs and services that are provided through The Baby Fold. They focus on improving the lives of children and families by building safe, loving, healthy environments through adoption services, foster care, residential care, special education and family and community services. ###