22nd Annual Festival of Trees Preview
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Get ready folks, the most wonderful time of the year is fast approaching.
The time of the year when you make a list, and check it twice.
And yet – it’s the time of the year when you try to wear the ugliest sweater to win a prize. Tradition and whimsy – side by side…
In a similar vein, for this Jewish girl, it is the time of the year to attend her favorite Holiday event: Catholic Charities’ Festival of Trees.
The Festival of Trees, including their Breakfast with Santa, has been a tradition with my daughters for 10+ years.
There is something magical about a room full of trees, wreaths and centerpieces, masterfully decorated each with their own theme. One of our all-time favorites was the Grinch Who Stole Christmas tree, with a life-sized Grinch head and arms jutting out in-between who-village ornaments and vibrant colored tinsel. Don’t even get me started on the tree decorated with no less than 100+ shoe ornaments.
The items range in size and price and so we have never walked away empty handed.
If you are like me and are hoping to purchase a tree, then the Preview Reception Gala on November 29th from 6 until 8 pm is for you. Tickets are $75 dollars for those more mature, and $60 for those under 35.
Here you can amaze and take photos while enjoying drinks and hors d’oeuvers from Longfellows and The Olde Bryan Inn. I, of course, will have my three trusty sidekicks along with me to help find the newest ‘branch’ of our family. Tickets for this event can be purchased HERE.
The Festival of Trees runs from November 29th until December 3rd. During the Victorian Street Walk (on Thursday, 11/30), you can come into the City Center and warm up with a special price of $3 – children 10 and under are free.
The rest of the week, the hours are as follows,
December 1st, 2-6 pm
December 2nd, 11 am – 6 pm
December 3rd, 11 am – 2 pm.
Tickets during these times are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for children ages 10 and older. Under age 10 are admitted free.
Combined with the tireless work of Catholic Charities of Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties, and their scores of dedicated volunteers, your minimal entrance fee will help individuals and families living in the tri-county region provide the basic needs to their family, such as, food, housing and health care.
This event is not about the gowns, the hair, or the feast.
It’s about giving to your neighbors so that they may breathe a little easier during the holiday season.
By purchasing any of the Holiday items displayed, you are sending out a peace filled message of rekindled hope, kindness and gratitude for our families, our friends and our community.
That first glimpse ‘ooh + aaah!’ feeling when you enter the room, though… consider it your bonus for extending a hand at Holiday time…
Mandy Mittler
November 25, 2017
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Editor’s Interlude:
What keeps me coming back to the Festival of Trees is re-kindling a young boys’ romance for the rails…
combined with envisioning running away to join the Big Top…
I personally asked Sister Charla Commins if this exhibit is coming back. It is – yeah!
Enjoy the pictures, but I say see it for yourself – and below that we show all the places your donations go… Happy Holidays! – AG
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Programs and Services offered by Catholic Charities
:
• Counseling – Individual, couple and family counseling and group support. This program provided mental health services to 1,401 individuals including 344 children 977 adults and 80 elderly.
• Domestic Violence Project – Shelter, counseling, advocacy, education, 24-hour hotline services for victims of domestic violence and their children in Warren and Washington counties. In 2016, 544 adults and 67 children were served in its programs. 72 victims and their children were provided safe shelter. In addition, 1,600 individuals received education and prevention services.
• Donovan House – Ballston Spa community-based residential group home program for adolescent boys provided 9 boys a cumulative 1,017 days of care last year.
• Mary’s Haven – A community home for the dying serving persons with irreversible illness, who are in the last three months of their lives and who no longer can remain safely in their homes. In 2016, we served 19 families and provided 537 bednights to the terminally ill.
• Mentoring Program – Prevention / diversion program impacting youth’s academic, social, and emotional milieu. 97 youth and 88 of their family members took part in the program last year.
• NOEP (Nutrition Outreach and Education Program) – Provided outreach and education to low income households in Warren County about the benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. (SNAP) 150 households were assisted in applying for and receiving SNAP program benefits.
• Services to the Elderly were provided to 342 senior citizens.
• Emergency Services, primarily assistance with concrete basic needs, were provided to 1135 individuals in the tri-county region.
Programs and Services are available to anyone in Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties, always accompanied by information, referral and advocacy as needed. Individuals are never refused services because of their inability to pay.
For a complete list of services offered by each county or for additional information please visit their website or call:
Administrative Office North Country Office
142 Regent St. 35 Broad Street
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Glens Falls, NY 12801
518-587-5000 518-793-6212
