Festival of Trees 2022
NOV 10, 2022
We are just 20 days away from the kick off to the 29th Annual Festival of Trees, the signature fundraiser for the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation, and long-time Prince George tradition. This year promises to bring the community together once again to celebrate the holiday season along with a few notable additions. Festival of Trees doors will open to the community November 30th at the Prince George Civic Centre and feature new additions that will further the ripple effect felt by other local non-profit groups.
These new additions include supporting Association Advocating for Women and Community, known as AWAC, and the Elizabeth Fry Society through an exciting new addition to Festival of Trees, championed by Northland Dodge. Event guests are being invited to bring lightly used purses, coupled with toiletries, that will be donated to both local non-profits following Festival of Trees. The goal through this initiative is to equip the shelters for the better part of a year and assist women who are fleeing dangerous situations who are in need of support. This, coupled with the collection of toys during the Northland Dodge Santa Breakfast to be shared with children in the Pediatrics ward of UHNBC, continue to expand the impact felt throughout the community thanks to this long-time community tradition.
Currently, the gap in care for Northern BC remains cardiac, which has been highlighted as a priority for the North. In fact, Northern Health is the only health authority in the province that does not have its own interventional cardiology service. This means that Northern residents are having to travel significant distances, and incur significant costs, to access higher levels of cardiac care.
With this in mind, the 2022 Festival of Trees funding efforts will go towards equipping a Cardiac Care Unit at UHNBC that will have a direct impact throughout the North.
“This funding will specifically include vital pieces of cardiac equipment such as ECG Machines, Defibrillators, Vascular Dopplers, and Cardiac Ultrasound Units to name just a few. This is a large undertaking that, once completed, will eventually see Northern residents receiving the cardiac care they require here, in Prince George, eliminating the travel and ensuring our friends, families, and communities have the very best in care” said Aimee Cassie, CEO, Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation.
With the funding priority set and plans in place, Festival of Trees is set to take the City by storm November 30th. A few tickets are remaining for staple events such as the MEDIchair Senior Bruch, Scotiabank Senior Tea, Canadian Tire Fashion Show, Yellowhead Rotary Business Lunch, while the Northland Dodge Santa Breakfast is now sold out. Another new addition this year is the Kopar Administration Family Day, which will see Festival’s finale on Sunday December 4th followed by the Canadian Tire fireworks display as the event comes to a close and sets its sight on the 30th anniversary in 2023.
For more information regarding Festival of Trees, please visit www.festivaloftreespg.ca or call the Foundation office at (250)565-2515.