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thePeorian.com
On Sunday the admission
will also get you a 1/3 Gondola
sandwich, chips and drink from
Avanti’s.
The Festival of Trees is the Crit-
tenton Center’s biggest money
maker during the year, Easton
said, as the decorated trees and
wreaths are sold through a silent
auction. The trees are artificial,
she said.
“
We have different sizes and
we deliver them wherever you
want. Or those who don’t want
to bid on a tree can simply walk
around and view them and get
ideas for their own tree,” she
said.
The trees are 7½ feet tall, 4½
feet tall or table top size. The
Crittenton Center has a partner-
ship with the Federal Cos. of East
Peoria to deliver the larger trees.
They are wrapped to make sure
none of the decorations are lost.
There is no charge to the winning
bidder, Easton said.
The bids vary according to the
size of the tree and what is on
them, she added. “One year the
Walmart on Allen Road donated
a Wii tree decorated with a Wii
gaming system and games. So
you can imagine that brought
some nice bids,” she said.
The center raised a net $38,000
during last year’s event. “The
Festival of Trees had been done
by other organizations in the
past that then split the proceeds
among not-for-profit organiza-
tions. We were one of the re-
cipients of some of the proceeds.
When it was about to be discon-
tinued we stepped in and took it
over,” Easton said.
“
We felt it was too important to
our organization to let it die. We
think we made the right deci-
sion,” she added.
Another key fund raiser for
Crittenton Center is its annual
Stocking Stuffer Store that is open
at Northwoods Mall and at The
Shoppes at Grand Prairie during
most of the month of December.
This is the 29th consecutive year
for the store.
Easton said the Stocking Stuffer
Store “is for children ages 12 and
under to shop, with the assis-
tance of a volunteer, for holiday
presents for parents, grandpar-
ents, siblings — whomever they
wish — while their parents relax
in a seating area located outside
the store.”
Gifts range from $1 to $8.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 54
Not For Profit
