The sparkling lights that will soon illuminate the streets and local businesses of downtown Sandpoint serve more than just a glimmer of what a resort community can look like for its traveling skiers and locals looking for holiday spirit.  

For the Community Resource EnVision Center, brightening up First and Cedar streets serves a purpose — bringing the community together through philanthropy and giving back.  

The Festival of Trees isn’t new to Sandpoint. For over two decades, the event was hosted by Kinderhaven, a former nonprofit emergency center for children until it was forced to close its doors following a change in national law. In recent years, the event has been held by CREC, which has worked to keep the tradition alive and sustainable — evolving as a fundraiser that reflects the very community it serves. 

“Every decision that we've been making has been to include more community members, make it more accessible, have all these different activities and ways to get involved that really showcase the full fabric of our Bonner and Boundary residents,” said CREC Executive Director Katie Begalke.  

The year’s festival spans over the course of a week, Nov. 28 through Dec. 6, offering opportunities for residents to support 12 local nonprofits while boosting small businesses throughout downtown Sandpoint.  

Throughout the week, the Charity and Cheer Window Walk will be available for residents and tourists alike to visit 12 decorated raffle trees at local businesses around First and Cedar Street — 100% of the proceeds made from the raffle will go back to the nonprofit that the local business has partnered with.  

“We want to use the Festival of Trees platform to both increase sales and foot traffic downtown but also acknowledge these nonprofits and the work that they’re doing to really uphold our community,” said Begalke.  

Decorated trees will be Baxters on Cedar, partnered with Food for Our Children; Larson’s Good Clothes, partnered with Love in Action Idaho; The Blue Lizard, partnered with NAMI Far North Idaho; Cedar Street Bridge, partnered with Creations for Sandpoint; Eve’s Leaves, partnered with Bonner Homeless Transitions; Outdoor Experience partnered with Kaniksu Land Trust; Out West Trading partnered with Unique Center for Athletes of All Needs; Trudy’s Hallmark Shop, partnered with 7B Care Clinic; Burl Wood Dreams, partnered with Panhandle Special Needs Inc.; The Peppered Mercantile, partnered with Community Cancer Services; Barrel 33, partnered with Panhandle Alliance for Education; Mick Duff’s, partnered with Angels Over Sandpoint.  

On its second day of the weeklong event, CREC hosts a free Friends and Family Day at The Hive, where kids of all ages are welcome. The day, which offers Santa photos, kids crafts, live entertainment and treats, also includes a fourth-grade gingerbread competition between 14 Bonner and Boundary county classrooms.  

Community members are asked to vote on their favorite gingerbread house, which will be auctioned off at the Festival of Trees Starlit Soirée Gala. Proceeds of the house will go to the nonprofit of the winning classroom’s choice.  

“We give them (classrooms) $50 to make this creation, and then we throw a pizza party, and we do math on their chalkboard and talk about how they were able to take that $50 and grow it into something more,” said Begalke. “We hope that that’s going to just spark a generation of givers in our community moving forward ... We really are empowering our youth to get involved in philanthropy and understand how they can multiply their gifts.” 

According to Begalke, the center saw 2,500 people walking through the doors of the event last year — a mix of elementary students and their families, in addition to local youth performances throughout the day. Begalke also noted that the event helped downtown businesses, which saw record-breaking numbers as individuals walked the streets of Sandpoint in the holiday spirit — paving the way for the now-annual Charity and Cheer Window Walk.    

“This is just taking our platform of the Festival of Trees and seeing how many ways we can involve community members across the board; businesses, nonprofits, volunteers, etc.,” said Begalke. 

Visitors can also view 10 additional designer trees on Friends and Family Day, all of which will be auctioned off during the Starlit Soirée Gala on Dec. 6.  

The gala offers an evening of elegance and celebration, with community members dressing in the nines for dinner, entertainment and auctions of holiday trees — including the winning fourth-grade gingerbread house. Raffle winners for the 12 downtown trees will also be announced that evening, and CREC will unveil its new vision for the future. 

Funds from the event that aren’t distributed to local nonprofits are cycled to CREC to help pay staff to continue the operation of programs, assisting individuals with the varying resources in the community to help them get over their circumstances. According to Begalke, 67% of the center’s clientele are women, and 43% are seniors.  

“The help comes in a multitude of ways,” said Begalke. “I like to just say that our people are our program, and they are here to meet folks in need and to listen to their unique set of circumstances and get them plugged in to the multitude of local, regional and national resources that are available to help with each.” 

More information about the event can be found at https://www.crecidaho.com/festival-of-trees

    Caroline Hawkins is pictured in the December 2003 Daily Bee photo when she was first in line to visit Santa Claus as he helped kick off the Festival of Trees. Santa arrived to a hearty welcome to the event which benefits Kinderhaven, which offers temporary foster care to children.