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A labor of love
Volunteers devote thousands of hours to Festival of Trees
Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Submitted photo
From left, Joan Tornell of Port Republic, Jeanne Coonan of Huntingtown and Jean Bozman of St. Leonard, members of the Calvert Hospice Festival of Trees steering committee, are coordinating the activities of more than 100 volunteers and 70 vendors as they prepare for the festival this weekend at Huntingtown High School.
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Eight months of planning, preparation and work on the part of more than 100 volunteers will culminate this weekend with the 21st Annual Festival of Trees celebration benefiting Calvert Hospice and the long-awaited Burnett-Calvert Hospice House.
"You can't imagine how many people are involved," said Joan Tornell of Port Republic, a member of the festival's overall steering committee. "The committee works from March through November. A lot of [charitable fundraising] drives to great good," she added, "but the Festival of Trees funds all stay right here in Calvert County to support the Hospice."
Originally held at the Holiday Inn Select in Solomons, in the last two decades the festival has grown into one of Calvert County's premiere celebrations — one that heralds in the holiday season in the county. It is now held at Huntingtown High School.
According to the festival's brochure, "The Festival of Trees is a festive holiday celebration. Individuals, businesses and organizations can sponsor a tree by way of a financial contribution. Teams of decorators from church, community and civic groups weave their holiday magic into an enchanting parade of uniquely decorated trees. Tree sponsors may keep their trees or donate them to a hospice family or community organization of their choice."
Jean Bozman of St. Leonard, another member of the volunteer steering committee, said that a number of themes will be represented among the decorated trees, including "White Christmas," a "Memorial Tree" honoring members of the armed forces and veterans, and a "Tree of Remembrance," decorated with white doves, each inscribed with the name of an individual served by Calvert Hospice during the past year. Prices range "from $500 for a 4.5-foot tree to $800 for a 7.5-foot tree," she said.
"The theme of this year's festival is, ‘The Dream Becomes a Reality,'" said Jeanne Coonan of Huntingtown, chairman of the festival steering committee. "It celebrates the opening of the new Burnett-Calvert Hospice House." The official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new hospice house was held Saturday at its location on Sixes Road in Prince Frederick.
According to Coonan, 64 trees were sponsored last year.
"We hope to beat that this year, "she said, "and our dollar goal is $100,000."
Lynn Bonde, executive director of Calvert Hospice, was unstinting in her acknowledgement of the thousands of volunteer hours that go into making the Festival of Trees a success.
"[The Festival of Trees] wouldn't happen without volunteers; we couldn't do this without them. The volunteers are responsible for raising about $100,000 every year through this event and ... they're essential, they're critical," she said. "So many people work so hard to put this together, it's unbelievable. People are out in the community making ornaments for trees, doing crafts for the gift shop and have been working for the whole year really to organize all of the events; it's a hugely complex operation."
Among the many volunteers helping with this year's Festival of Trees are the following:
Steering Committee: Jeanne Coonan, Carolyn Kemp, Joan Tornell, Fran Grim, Jean Bozman and Trudy Spriggs.
Committee Chairs: Lynn Bozman, Julie Brinlee, Phyllis Dowell, Tina Roeder, Karla Sisson, Grace Sturdevant, Lauren Becker, Judi Fields, DeAnna Neill, Sherry Scott, Ronda Ward, Janet Gross, Patty Schartner, Christel Libiot, Mary Oursler, Sandra Outman, Cecilia Kirkpatrick, Marty Phelps, Sheila Walls, Marvin Oursler, Mike Combs, Jack Smack, Debbie D'Amico, Janel Muir, John Brady and the St. Leonard Optimist Club.
The Festival of Trees will be open at the following times this weekend: Friday, 6 to 8 p.m; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Additional information about the festival can be found at www.calverthospice.org.
