Edwin Parr Composite’s Athabasca Pacers football club united the community for the first annual Festival of Trees at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex on Saturday to raise money for the Santa’s Anonymous program.
Christmas trees, decorations and wreaths were donated and then auctioned off at the event.
For almost 12 years, EPC has joined forces with the Athabasca Lions Club to help put together Christmas hampers for Santa’s Anonymous to help those in need.
“One of the things we really strive for with the Pacers is to encourage the kids to find ways to give back to the community,” said EPC Pacers coach Terry Smith. “Over the years, our community involvement has changed and there have been things that we have had to drop out of for various reasons, so this year we wanted to do something bigger to help out the Santa’s Anonymous. It’s always non-perishable items, and by raising funds we can help buy fresh produce and things for the hampers this year, too.”
Smith said he had seen what some other communities were doing with the Festival of Trees and thought it was a really great way to build the Christmas giving spirit. The goal was to raise close to $500 to either turn into Buy-Low Bucks for Santa’s Anonymous or get fresh products for the hampers.
Given that it was the first time hosting the event, Smith says he was really pleased with the turnout and the community tree donations, and that he’s already thinking of ways to make it better next year.
“I think this was a real success and even though we don’t know the sales amount yet, we had a lot of people coming through and walking around and a lot of people bidding, so whatever money we raised will be more than we had before,” Smith said. “Some people had good suggestions and comments and most people had very positive things to say, so I look forward to next year and seeing how we can make it better.”
As for the Pacers themselves, they were happy to help.
“So many places help us out all year round and it’s nice for us to have a chance to give back and help some other people out too,” said Pacers captain Mitchell Snow. “Santa’s Anonymous is a great cause and it helps out a lot of people who need it so it’s nice to be a part of it.”
