Local businesses are part of a new fundraising initiative of the Vancouver Rotary’s Festival of Trees that will benefit 18 local nonprofits.
The Festival of Trees is the chief fundraiser for the Vancouver Rotary Foundation, which distributes nearly $225,000 in community grants and scholarships annually. It will take place the weekend of Nov. 28 at the Hilton Vancouver.
This year, nonprofits that serve youth and families are partnering with businesses to decorate more than a quarter of the event’s trees on display. The rest of the trees will likely come from businesses and individual donors Lentz said.
Nearly one-third of the festival’s income comes from business sponsorships, said Temple Lentz, executive director of the event. Auction bids and donations bring in another third, and businesses account for half of them.
Festival of Trees visitors can vote with their dollars for a favorite tree or nonprofit and the nonprofit that brings in the most will receive one-third of those total donations. Another third will go to the Vancouver Rotary Foundation and remaining funds will go to the other nonprofit event partners.
Each nonprofit tree is expected to have at least one business sponsor to cover the cost of its tree, lights, stand and decorations, Lentz said. Local businesses also give to the event by sponsoring gala auction tables or matching employee donations to the foundation.
“Your dollars go further this way because you become a part of a large and growing group of donors,” she said of the foundation. “The students who receive our scholarships might be a donor business’ next employee. The homeless family we helped feed might be a future customer.”
More than 400 volunteers work on the event with Lentz, the event’s sole employee.
“Many businesses around the area also encourage and reward employees for volunteering their time,” she said. “It takes a lot of people and a lot of hours to bring this all together –businesses in Clark County and Vancouver have been incredibly supportive.”
