Portland, OR. The numbers are in and the 2017 Safeway/Providence Festival of Trees, public show and Gala dinner raised a record $1.4 million for Providence Children’s Health and family support services. Bob and Sharon Miller join friends and family at the November 31st gala which drew over 900 people. The public viewing of the trees took place December 1st and 2nd at Oregon Convention Center. Organizers say miles of twinkling lights, thousands of ornaments and even the fragrance of Christmas itself made the 35th anniversary of the festival a magical event.
13-year-old Bobbi MacKenzie opens the Gala dinner by singing “Oh Holy Night” a cappela.
Providence Oregon chief executive Dave Underriner and Providence Foundations of Oregon president and chief development officer Laurie Kelley welcome more than 900 guests to the Gala.
Nancy Lematta, center, leads a group of friends in celebrating the festival of trees.
Joey Harrington poses for a photograph with an Oregon Ducks fan in the midst of the Gala.
Organizers report that the holiday tradition dazzled people of all ages with its exquisite trees, mini-trees, wreaths, gingerbread houses, Lego displays and more. Over the last 34 years, the festival has raised more than $16 million. Those funds support Providence Children’s Health programs including Child Life Specialists, NICU Parent Liaisons, Swindells Resource Center and My Little Waiting Room.
Here are some photos of the those famous trees:
Letters to Santa – Sponsor: iHeart Media. Â Designers: Sandy Miller, Shelly Hamann, Mark Johnson, family and friends
Take Me Back in Time – Sponsor: Providence Hospice Designers: Jacquelyn Dunn, Kate Gober, Shawn Dunn and Judy Mimnaugh
A Coastal Christmas – Sponsor: Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty Company Designers: Sarah Kennison, Danielle Smeraglio, Sue Jarmin and Kim Jarmin
Rose All the Way Sponsor: Providence Health Plan. Designers: Ronni Nichuals, Stacy Ryback, Velma Rodriguez, Tiah Kershaw, Erica Brill and Mary Nichols
Christmas in Rip City – Sponsor: Portland Trail Blazers Designers: Sandy Miller, Leslie Radke, Carol Nielson and Judy Han
Through a Child’s Eyes – Sponsor: Providence Portland Medical Center professional staff Designers: Leilani Wilson, Raji Chandrasekaran, Christine Riley, Karen Thiel, Nicholetta Vlandis and Elizabeth Wakeman
Have a Merry Elfin’ Christmas – Sponsor: Providence Medical Group Designers: Dominique Buhl, Damala Badon, Robin Birge, Amy Brittan and Min Stearns
This is a year-long, volunteer-driven project with nearly 75 professional and amateur designers volunteering thousands of hours to turn a corner of the Oregon Convention Center into a winter wonderland and holiday village. Nearly 20,000 people were expected to experience the 2017 festive gathering with 75 trees of all sizes decorated with nearly 100,000 twinkling lights. More than 600,000 people have attended the festival since it began in 1983. Safeway was the sponsor this year.
Here’s a time lapse video of the setup of the
The Festival of the Trees benefits these Family Support Services:
Providence cares for more than 100,000 Oregon children each year, and 1 in 5 children have a special health care need. These critical programs help keep the whole family healthy.
Our Family Support Services
Child Life Program
Imagine a hospital visit through the eyes of a child. Unfamiliar faces and equipment, examinations or tests for them or for a loved one, and scary conversations that they may not understand. Our certified child life specialists at Providence St. Vincent help children of all ages cope with their own or a family member’s illness, injury, treatment, or hospitalization through play, child-friendly explanations, and of course, a teddy bear.
My Little Waiting Room
Founded by mother and cancer survivor Amy Patterson, My Little Waiting Room provides free, fun, and safe drop-in child care for families on the campuses of Providence St. Vincent and Providence Portland Medical Center. Staffed by specially trained care providers and secure, parents can attend appointments or visit a loved one in the hospital knowing their children are in good hands.
NICU Parent Liaison
Spending time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with your baby is rarely a part of a family’s birth plan. Our NICU Parent Liaison provides peer-to-peer informational, emotional, and inspirational support to new parents of premature babies during their stay in the NICU at Providence St. Vincent.
Swindells Resource Center
Learning that your child has special needs, developmental delays or disabilities is life-changing, isolating and scary. Where do I go from here? What do I do next? Swindells Resource Center supports parents and caregivers of these children by providing free resources, information and education to communities throughout Oregon and southwest Washington – last year alone we helped tens of thousands of families throughout the region.
Aloha, OR., August 28th. Jay and Bill Haas set a record for lowest Umpqua Bank Challenge score at 26-under-par. Bill Haas shot 12-under par (60) on his own ball for the day, setting The Reserve North Course course record. (The Umpqua Bank Challenge tournament is a two-day one-net best-ball contest.) More than 10,000 spectators attended the three-day event at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club in Aloha. The first Umpqua Bank Challenge in 2011 raised $100,000 for its charitable partners: Randall Children’s Hospital and the “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Oregon.
Lee Trevino was a favorite. He’s a 52-year member of the PGA TOUR who has amassed 29 TOUR victories, including six major championships.
In 1986, PGA TOUR professional and Northwest-native Peter Jacobsen started the then Fred Meyer Challenge with the goal of combining professional golf, competition, and fun for the spectators and players alike. In 2011 the Umpqua Bank Challenge followed.
Here are some additional results from the tournament:
Tournament host Peter Jacobsen, along with teammate and fan-favorite Lee Trevino, ended the tournament in seventh place with a final score of nine-under-par.
Here’s a video of amusing highlights from Peter Jacobsen’s Challenge Clinic.
Former NFL quarterback and Portland-native Joey Harrington, along with amateur teammates Don Antonucci, Kyle Dean, Trent Green and Stacy Nicholson, won the tournament’s Pro-Am with a score of 34-under-par 110. LPGA Tour pro and Big Break X contestant Amber Prange led her team to second place, followed by the team paired with PGA TOUR pro Jason Gore.
Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel strives to provide top-quality, compassionate and family-friendly medical care to Oregon children. To learn more about Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, visit their website.
Established in 1990, the “I Have a Dream” Foundation – Oregon focuses on helping low-income kids reach success in school and college by supporting students at an early age, providing them with long-term relationships with caring adults, giving them academic and personal/social support services and by creating a “culture of college” around them. To learn more about the “I Have a Dream” Foundation – Oregon, visit their website.
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