Tinsel, Trees and Toys
Searcy tree pageant to benefit foster children
For those who want to add to their holiday decorations later this month — or those who simply let time get away from them and need a decor boost as Christmas approaches — there is an option that will bring holiday spirit to the home while also helping foster children and families.
The Tinsel, Trees and Toys Christmas Tree Pageant is in its second year at Providence Assisted Living in Searcy, and trees are already up and decorated.
The pageant is a silent-auction-based fundraiser for the White County Foster Parent Association. Decorated Christmas trees, a wreath and a decorative sugar-cookie house will be displayed around the Providence Assisted Living campus until Dec. 14. When the pageant is over, the people with the highest bids on the decorations will take them home. Visitors are encouraged to take unwrapped gifts to the pageant to be given to the foster children.
Local businesses and groups have donated the auction items, and donated gifts are already starting to pile up around some of the trees.
Jamie Bates, White County Foster Parent Association secretary, said there are 29 trees up with more to
come, and the association hopes the event will raise plenty of money to help foster families give their foster children a good Christmas.
“The idea is for the public to come in [to Providence Assisted Living], put presents under the trees and then place bids on the trees we have here,” she said.
Generally, Bates said, there are around 100 children in foster care around White County at any point in the year. Some of those children have trust funds that can supplement purchases of items they either want or need, but other foster families depend on fundraisers such as Tinsel, Trees and Toys to be able to provide gifts under their own trees at home.
Some children go into foster care around the holidays, and their foster families simply cannot afford extra gifts. Other foster families have several foster children in their care, and the gift budget gets depleted very quickly.
“The last time we took a count, we had 49 children we were buying for,” Bates said. “We start with their needs and then go on to buy their wants. We try to get one to two items on their want list, but if we have the funding, we like to get them [more of what] they want.”
Both the donated toys and the silent-auction proceeds go to foster children, and Bates said this varied donation process helps make sure all children get gifts that are applicable to them.
“Usually, we get a lot of gifts for children from ages 3-10,” Bates said. “The money we get from auctioning the trees off is usually what we use to buy our teenagers’ gifts.”
While this is the second year for Tinsel, Trees and Toys at Providence Assisted Living, the fundraiser is a resurrection of a similar event that used to be held at Harding Place. Bates said last year’s pageant was a success, and she hopes the event continues to grow.
“We had 22 trees last year, so for getting it up and going again, I think it was a pretty good first year,” she said. “I know in the past, some of the big trees have gone for $500 and $600. I don’t think we had anything close to that last year, but I’m hoping to get the bidders in again this year.”
The businesses that donated trees put in a lot of effort, Bates said. Some of the trees have themes — such as an Arkansas Razorback tree with red decor and several hog ornaments — and any of them could serve as a main Christmas tree or a supplemental tree for a home or business.
“We’ve got some beautiful trees this year,” Bates said. “We’ve got $200 trees with $100 worth of ornaments, and we have $100 trees with $300 worth of ornaments on them.”
Bates is also collecting gift cards from area businesses in order to construct a gift-card tree that will be up for auction soon.
Providence Assisted Living — formerly River Oaks Village — is at 3012 E. Moore Ave. in Searcy. The bids will be taken through Dec. 14, and the public is invited to visit the facility in order to view the trees and make bids. For more information, call Bates at (501) 230-4670.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 2444307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.