Trees for Charity

While my sister Mary and I were in North Carolina this past weekend for a visit with my parents, we went to Downtown Durham to see the Christmas trees at the Triangle Christmas Tree Challenge display. The Christmas Tree Challenge is a fund raiser for non-profits. Dozens of non-profit companies compete for prizes by designing and decorating trees that represent their mission.

We discovered the trees a few years ago when we’d gone to Downtown Durham for dinner and ice skating. The trees were beautiful at night, lit up in different colors. But I think I enjoyed them even more in the daytime when I could see all the details. Each tree was so creative. The tree for Teach for America was decorated with pencils while the ornaments on Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina’s tree were made from plastic forks and spoons. We got a laugh out of the tree for First Tee of the Triangle, which had stuffed toy gophers (think Caddyshack) nestled among the golf balls and flags. Hee hee :-)

Of course, I loved all the Christmas trees, but we were there to see one tree in particular. This year Open Table Ministry, where my sister Jenny is a board member and volunteer, submitted a tree. The theme of their tree was “The Face of Homelessness” and it was decorated with tiny sleeping bags, tables and laminated pictures of their homeless clients. Under the tree was a tableau of a homeless camp with a sleeping bag, backpack and a miniature shopping cart.

Alex's Lemonade Stand

Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina

Vets to Vets United

Teach for America
"One Day All Children Will Have Access to an Excellent Education"

Durham Ballet Theater

Bee Downtown

Girls on the Run of the Triangle

CAHEC
The numbers represent how many hours someone would have to work at
minimum wage to be able to afford a one-bedroom apartment

Carolina Donor Services

Second Chance Pet Adoptions

Open Table Ministry

I can’t think of a better way to get into the Christmas Spirit than by supporting a worthy cause.
Merry Christmas and God bless us, every one!


Travel Tips: The Triangle Christmas Tree Challenge display is located at Diamond View Park next to the American Tobacco Campus. Even if you don't get a chance to see the trees in person, you can view them and vote for your favorite at http://www.triangletreechallenge.com/tree-entries. The voting period runs through December 16 so you still have a few days left to visit and vote!