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Bid on a Tree, Help a Cause

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Crittenton Center event helps protect and nurture children and families

Nothing says the holidays like helping others less fortunate and, of course, a beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

Crittenton Center's annual Christmas tree festival is a way the two can mix to help the center's mission of protecting and nurturing children and families.

The 4th Annual Festival of Trees is scheduled for Nov. 30 through Dec. 2 at Expo Gardens on Northmoor Road.

"Festival of Trees is a community-wide event that will surely put everyone in the holiday spirit. More than 50 beautifully decorated trees will be on display to enjoy, as well as to bid on to take home. Other highlights from the weekend will include a gift shop, an out-and-about gift certificate tree, a snack shop, a Saturday Night Pajama Party, on-going family friendly entertainment and so much more," said Danielle Easton, development and marketing director for Crittenton Center. "If you love Christmas, don't miss this event."

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for seniors over 60 and children ages 3 to 14. Kids under age 3 are admitted free.

The event actually kicks off Thursday, Nov. 29 with a "Jingle & Mingle" cocktail party from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., with music by the Larry Harms Trio. The cost is $30 and patrons would be able to see the decorated trees to be auctioned and submit bids that night.

On Friday seniors get free coffee and cookies while visiting the festival and viewing the trees, visiting the Crittenton Center gift shop and enjoying day long entertainment.
On Saturday Dec. 1 there will be a kids' pajama party with Julie K and Santa Claus from 5 to 8 p.m.

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 Crittenton 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 partnership 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 organizations. We were one of the recipients of some of the proceeds. When it was about to be discontinued 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 decision," 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 assistance of a volunteer, for holiday presents for parents, grandparents, siblings — whomever they wish — while their parents relax in a seating area located outside the store."

Gifts range from $1 to $8.

"More than 2,000 shoppers from Peoria and the surrounding committees shopped at the 'kids only' store in 2011. The Stocking Stuffer Store is the only store of its kind open to the public in the Peoria area. It's truly a staple in central Illinois," Easton said.

The store will be open at Northwoods Mall starting Dec. 1 from 4 to 8 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays through Dec. 19.
It will be open weekends only at The Shoppes at Grand Prairie the first three weekends of December from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

ABOUT CRITTENTON CENTERS

Crittenton Centers has been serving Peoria and all of central Illinois since 1892. Originally a maternity home for unwed mothers, the agency has evolved into a multi-service, multi-million dollar not-for-profit child welfare organization that serves a diverse population of children, adolescents, young adults and parents.

According to the organization's history, the Florence Crittenton Home in Peoria started much the same way as missions that were established in larger cities in the late 1800s —businesses by day, gospel house/soup kitchen by night.

The Crittenton Home of Blessing was built in 1892 at a cost of $8,500 at the corner of Richmond and North streets in Peoria. Said the Crittenton Centers' website, "The mission of the home was to care for many girls and women being ruined through influence of evil companions in the 60 wine rooms and 300 saloons in Peoria."

The center later built a home on Heading Avenue in West Peoria where for many years babies were delivered in small hospital facilities on the premises. That closed in 1965.
The Crisis Nursery opened in 1980 and the website said it was the first such program in Illinois to provide short term care for families in crisis to prevent child abuse and neglect.
The residential center on Heading Avenue closed in 2002 and Crittenton moved to the current location at 442 John Gwynn Jr. Ave.

Today, Crittenton is a service provider for several Departments of the State of Illinois including the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and the Illinois State Board of Education. It also is the hub agency for the Strengthening Families through Early Care & Education's Peoria pilot site and learning network.

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