Their selection to take over the annual Festival of Trees celebrations from the Kinderhaven Foundation left them feeling humbled, Community Resource EnVision Center officials said.

"The Community Resource EnVision Center is honored that the Kinderhaven Foundation has selected us to carry the torch of the Festival of Trees," Linnis Jellinek, CREC executive director, said.

And, starting immediately, Jellinek said the organization will begin work on the holiday tradition, giving the community another way to support families and children in need directly — and the nonprofits who help them.

Jellinek said the 2023 Festival of Trees will include the same events that the community has come to know and love, from the family night where local youth get to meet Santa to the fundraising gala featuring beautifully decorated, one-of-a-kind trees.

Planned for the first weekend in December, Jellinek said the event will celebrate the legacy of the Festival of Trees' past. The community is invited to help CREC grow the event into the Festival of Trees of the future.

"The many families [that] we and our non-profit partners serve continue to need our support as they work to build success for themselves and their children," she said. "This passing of this torch exemplifies the strength of our community living in unity."

In the past decade, CREC has helped over 2,081 families with children find needed resources to overcome personal crises and create a plan that leads them to self-sufficiency, Jellinek said.

"Just last year, CREC made it possible for over $410,000 in rental assistance to be directed to local families," she added. "Recognizing the role Kinderhaven has played in the lives of children for 30 years, CREC wants the community to know that the gap created by their absence, will be addressed by proactively engaging in the lives of families in crisis, so emergency housing of children is less necessary." 

The Kinderhaven Foundation announced Thursday that it was passing the torch for the holiday event to the Community Resource EnVision Center. While the group loved putting on the event, and the magic it brought to the holiday season, foundation board members said it made sense to pass the torch to Community Resource EnVision Center to help it serve the community and its families.

Kinderhaven staff, volunteers and supporters loved hosting the Festival of Trees — something they did for almost 30 years with the event "bringing joy to so many," Chambers said. From beautifully decorated trees at the gala and festive luncheons to delicious holiday treats, and visits with Santa, the annual event was a community tradition treasured by many.

However, with the shift in direction to Kinderhaven Foundation, foundation officials said it made sense to pass the torch for the event to the Community Resource EnVision Center, which recently expressed interest in carrying on the event's legacy.

The foundation is confident, Chamber said, that CREC's staff, leadership, and volunteer base have the prowess and expertise to continue "the successful tradition of Festival of Trees."