Don’t miss this year’s Festival of Trees Event at Liberty Hall to benefit O’Connell Children’s Shelter. Starting the Monday after Thanksgiving, come see a dazzling display of holiday trees and wreaths and make a bid to take one home! It’s the best way to kick off the holidays and get into the spirit of the season.
The Festival of Trees is a Lawrence holiday tradition. “This is the 36th year,” said Maren Ludwig, Grant and Development Coordinator at O’Connell Children’s Shelter. “Festival of Trees is our largest fundraiser of the year and we depend on it for so many important services. The support from the Lawrence community is absolutely amazing!”
They say it takes a village and the village of Lawrence doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the Festival of Trees. It is truly a community effort. “It’s always inspiring to see not only what our neighbors create, but also how many people get involved,” Ludwig shared. Local businesses, Girl Scout troops, individuals, everyone gets into the holiday spirit.”
Bobby Jones of Professional Moving and Storage donates trucks and delivery drivers to drop off the trees at the homes of the winning bidders. Lawrence police officers pitch in to help deliver too. Local artists, teachers, and businesses donate decorated trees every year. Ludwig said she’s seen everything from Marvel superhero trees to Harry Potter trees, to artistic trees that are wooden, woven, and wired. “The wreaths and trees are different every year,” Ludwig said. “All shapes and sizes from small tabletop trees to entire treescapes with multiple trees. I’m always blown away by the creativity and beauty.”
Festival of Trees Hours
Viewing Hours Monday, Nov. 28th - Sunday, Dec. 4 (hours vary daily)
(Suggested donation is $5 per person 10 years and up.)
Cookies with Santa - Enjoy Eileen’s cookies and get your picture taken with Santa. Monday from 3:30-5:30 and Tuesday from 4:30-6:30.
(Suggested donation is $5 for kids 3 and up, or $20 for families of 4 or more.)
Live Auction - Wednesday, Nov. 30th. Doors open at 5:30. Auction starts at 7:00 (General Admission tickets: $60/per person; VIP tables: $500/per table of 4)
Gingerbread House and Wreath Silent Auction - bid online Monday, Nov. 28th - Saturday, Dec. 3rd. Visit the O’Connell Children’s Shelter website. The wreaths will be on display in Liberty Hall (like the trees). The gingerbread houses will be on display at various downtown business store fronts.
The money raised supports all agency programming. The O’Connell Children’s Shelter consists of five foster homes that can hold 12-14 children. Each house currently has eight to ten children ages 10 and up from the in-state foster care system. The shelter also provides emergency placement beds for the county. “Let’s say a single parent needs emergency surgery and their child has no one to take care of them,” Ludwig explained. “We can take temporary custody until a relative can step in or the parent has recovered.” Another example is when families are experiencing disagreements. Things can get heated and emotional and O’Connell can provide a cooling off period especially when teens are involved. “We can give them a place to stay until the situation calms down and a solution to the situation can be found,” Ludwig said.
Prevention work is another important service O’Connell provides. Case managers work with families at risk for displacement to help connect them to community services that can keep them in their homes. Another area O’Connell’s prevention program oversees is high school truancy for Douglas County. Case managers work with courts and schools to help get troubled kids back on track. They also sponsor family foster homes, generally for the younger kids. “We are always looking for new foster parents in the Lawrence community,” Ludwig said. “We need to increase our village.”
O’Connell Children’s Shelter depends heavily on the funds raised from the annual Festival of Trees event. With the money from last year’s fundraiser, the board hired a bridging specialist. A bridging specialist helps kids who are transitioning out of the foster program adjust to being independent. “You forget that most kids have their parents, but also an informal support system including aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and more,” Ludwig explained. “But these kids have been displaced from their natural community and don’t have that support system.”
A bridging specialist helps connect the kids with mentor teams to help them with everyday things like getting a driver's license, setting up a bank account, getting enrolled in college, or a trade school, securing housing, and more. “They do all the things parents and family do that most of us take for granted,” Ludwig added. “They even attend sporting events, plays, and award ceremonies when there is no one else to be there for them. Building trust and permanent long-term relationships is hard. Bridging specialists who help make these connections are an invaluable resource to these kids.”
The Lawrence community has been wonderful,” Ludwig said. “Not only with the Festival of Trees, but other fundraisers as well.” Emily Willis Stewart from McGrew Real Estate provides horse-drawn carriage rides down Mass Street with all the proceeds from ticket sales benefitting O’Connell Children’s Shelter. “We can see and feel the difference the community is making, but unfortunately, there are always more kids,” she said.
So plan to attend the annual Festival of Trees this year, make a donation, bid on a tree and help an amazing local resource. For more information on the Festival of Trees, visit Facebook and search for the O’Connell Children’s Shelter or Lawrence Festival of Trees page. To learn more about O’Connell Children’s Shelter, or bid on a wreath or gingerbread house, visit www.oconnellchildrensshelter.org.