Hospice Trees and Gifts Outlast the Season
Woodchips and memories will soon be all that’s left of this year’s Christmas trees hauled curbside in Anne Arundel or to Calvert’s convenience centers for recycling. Not so for the 64 trees in Calvert Hospice’s 23rd annual Festival of Trees. Decorated and sponsored throughout Calvert, the trees annually add about $100,000 to Hospice coffers.
The festival is Calvert Hospice’s longest running and biggest fundraiser. It helps support all the Hospice’s free programs, including hospice care for people without the ability to pay and bereavement counseling for adults and children.
Calvert Hospice provides care for terminally ill and bereaved county residents. The Burnett-Calvert Hospice House offers round-the-clock care for six patients, with another three dozen or so people typically in home hospice care.
A surprise year-end donation of $2,000 made by Sneade’s Ace Home Center raised the anticipated total of this year’s festival, said organizer Jeanne Coonan.
“Sneade’s made this donation because Hospice has always been very special to us,” said Lynne Sneade. “A dear friend now quite ill got us involved, and we made this donation in her honor.”
The connection is closer still. Retail marketing manager Tricia Willis’ father Stanley Russell was a hospice patient.
The local home center, with stores in Owings and Lusby, has been part of the festival for a number of years.
“The whole family gets involved,” Sneade said.
Sneade’s supplies the pre-lit, artificial trees at “a very nice reduced price,” Coonan said. Delivery also comes courtesy of Sneade’s. The Sneade’s enterprise family has also run the auction and vendor sections, as well as supported the family dinner funded by Relay for Life.
“We’re only able to contribute because we’re supported by the community,” Lynne Sneade said. “We hope we continue to be blessed so we can continue to give back.”
Christmas is not the only time for giving. Find out how to donate or organize a fundraiser at www.calverthospice.org.