October 22, 1997 - 5:00pm
It's nine weeks to Christmas, but at Malaspina University-College it's only five weeks away from Christmas.
A team of volunteers has been working behind the scenes to organize the third annual Festival of Trees, November 27 - 30, "the biggest, most exciting Yuletide event ever staged on Vancouver Island."
"I can picture opening day of the Festival of Trees," said volunteer coordinator Glenys Wood. "Beban Park will be filled with old world facades and decorated with beautiful Christmas trees and light; this year will be even better than last year's event. Children and adults will be absolutely filled with awe."
Wood said the four-day Festival is "coming together nicely" thanks in large part to the untiring efforts of the Festival Steering Committee, a core group of 28 people who have been immersed in the Christmas spirit since the spring.
"We have an extremely dedicated, hard-working volunteer Steering Committee," said Wood. "It's been a real team effort. The amount of time they've devoted to this Festival is just incredible."
Jon Lampman, chair of the Malaspina Foundation couldn't agree more.
"I've been surprised from the beginning, when Foundation Board Director Joan Miller first came up with the idea for a Festival of Trees, at the level of excitement expressed by the volunteers she recruited," said Lampman. "Anybody who comes to the Festival will be very impressed with their work and enthusiasm and see for themselves what I mean."
In addition to the Steering Committee, Wood estimates that over 250 volunteersincluding many studentswill help out during the Festival with such tasks as selling admission and raffle tickets, and ensuring the children's activities and other events run smoothly.
The Festival of Trees is a special event organized by the Malaspina Foundation to raise funds for scholarships and bursaries for Malaspina University-College students, as well as for computers, library books, and other instructional equipment.
For further information about the Festival, volunteering, or advance tickets, please call the Festival office at 758-1343.
Tags: In the Community
