Festival of Giving Trees

The 2024 Festival of {Giving} Trees dates are December 5th thru December 8th. We are planning a live event and a “virtual” event, as this has worked out great for the past few years. This year we will be celebrating our 27th year!

This four day family event is designed to be a holiday activity. The mission of the Festival is to raise money to help the Silent Spring Institute, the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition and The UMMH Cancer Center at Harrington Hospital fight the battle against breast cancer and to help fund cancer research. Over the past twenty-six years, the Festival of {Giving} Trees has raised and donated $944,000 to these beneficiaries. Last year we were able to donate $30,000 to each of our beneficiaries, previously the largest amount we donated to each was $21,000.

Since 1998, the Festival of {Giving} Trees has been dedicated to fundraising to support the prevention and cure of breast cancer.  The Festival originated under Sue Hapgood’s leadership and she with a group of volunteers established this fundraiser for Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition and Silent Spring Institute who are both committed to ending the breast cancer epidemic.  In 2000 we filed for corporate status as a 501c3, forming Giving Trees for Life, Inc. because of the growth and success of the Festival event. Under this corporate umbrella we’ve added more events: Tree.1 Run for Fun (a 5K in July), we’ve done a cornhole and a disc golf tournament, Oktoberfest Family Fun Day at Oakholm Farm and Brewery for several years, a calendar raffle and who knows what else we will come up with. We are always trying to add new things and continue to raise money to support something we strongly believe in.

And in 2004 the Festival of {Giving) brought in Harrington Hospital as one of the beneficiaries and then later when the Cancer Center opened in 2009 the Cancer Center at Harrington became our third beneficiary so that we now were giving back to our local community as well.    And now the Cancer Center is the UMass Memorial Health Cancer Center @ Harrington Hospital located in Southbridge, MA and they are committed to ensuring the delivery of the highest standard of patient-family care as they navigate through diagnosis, treatment, recovery and survivorship.

The Festival of {Giving} Trees would not be what it is today without the volunteers’ hard work, devotion and enthusiasm and we are dedicated to the needs of our beneficiaries and we are committed to doing everything we can to help them raise the money they need for the programs that are so important to them.

The Festival of {Giving} Trees features more than 100 uniquely decorated trees on display under one roof. Some are elegant, nostalgic and breathtaking.  Some are humorous, some are traditional and some are really hip. The only thing they have in common is that they are all different and they are all sparkling!

And each and every one of them will be taken home by lucky raffle winners.

Come join us!  It is a community-wide event, so bring your family, friends and neighbors.

Life is Good and What a Good Feeling When You Donate a Tree!!

Schedule:

10:00 – 11:45   Southbridge High School
12:00 – 1:00    Burgess Elementary School Band
1:15 – 2:00    DJ Christmas Music
2:00 – 2:45    Michael Kaitbenski, “Solo Artist“
3:00 – 3:45    DJ Christmas Music
Friday Night Lights Entertainment
6:00 – 11:00    Noah Lis, “Singer Songwriter“  ( Live Music )
Live Auction with Auctioneer, Rich Merrill