Festival of Trees raises more than $100,000 for school foundations

By Brittany Fholer 
Cove Leader-Press

The Texas A&M University Central Texas Foundation and the Central Texas College Foundation teamed up with the Killeen Independent School District Education Foundation to host the annual Festival of Trees fundraiser at the Killeen Civic and Conference Center Thursday evening. 
The Festival of Trees previously benefitted the Armed Services YMCA before the reins were handed over to the TAMUCT and CTC Foundations last year. This year, the KISD Education Foundation joined the two higher education institutions. Funds raised through the event will go towards scholarship funds set up by each foundation. 
As of press time, the event raised approximately $100,000, according to event coordinator Cindy Davis. 
Tickets for seats at the event have been sold out since October but sold for $85 for an individual seat or $750 for a table of 10, Davis said.  
In the main event room, 105 tables that seated 10 per table were surrounded by 12 elaborately decorated trees, with each tree surrounded by an assortment of items relating to each tree’s theme. Each of the trees had a bucket where guests could drop off a raffle ticket or two or 10, minus the largest tree which was later auctioned off. Raffle tickets cost $1 per ticket or there were little Christmas stockings full of an unknown amount of tickets for $100. One bag had as many as 225 tickets. 
The winning ticket holder won the decorations on the tree as well as all the items surrounding the tree. 
The overall theme this year was the “Sounds of the Season” and each tree’s theme followed a particular Christmas carol. The “Mele Kalikimaka” tree was decorated in Margaritaville ornaments and tropical birds such as parrots and flamingos. This tree also came with a Margaritaville themed wooden bar and stools and Adirondack chairs, a Margaritaville themed blender, Margaritaville branded tequila, rum and mixers and more. 
There was also a “Charlie Brown Christmas” themed tree with Charlie Brown and Peanuts themed ornaments and a large assortment of toys and furniture perfect for a little boy’s room. The “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” themed tree featured ballerinas and other toys for a little girl. 
Other songs with themed trees included “Auld Lang Syne”, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, “The Christmas Song”, “Away in a Manger”, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”, “Santa Baby” and “Jingle Bell Rock”.
The main tree, which was sponsored by the TAMUCT Foundation, the CTC Foundation, the KISD Education Foundation, Modern Appliance and Al and Nan Knight, looked to be 20-feet tall and was decorated in white lights with silver poinsettias and baby blue ornaments. The theme for this tree was “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” 
Included with the decorations were a full set of stainless-steel kitchen appliances, including a French Door refrigerator, a stove and oven, a dishwasher, a microwave, plus a moveable island with a Kitchen Aid mixer, bowls, pots, pans, a popcorn machine, a screen projector. Also included were a set of chairs and a coffee table, bottles of liquor and throws and pillows. 
The 20-foot tree sold for $14,000 to TAMUCT alum Anthony Martinez, of ABM Inc.
Also auctioned off was an all-inclusive fishing trip for two to the Northern Ozark Mountains for $1,200. 
Kathy Gilmore said she’s attended the Festival of Trees every year. 
“This is the party of the year in Killeen, Texas,” Gilmore said. “I’m telling you if anyone’s never been here, they need to come because it’s so much fun. It’s so exciting just to visit and see people and just the excitement of maybe winning a tree or not, and at the end, it doesn’t matter- it’s just so much fun.”
Gilmore said she planned to enter tickets to win all of the trees but would primarily focus on trees that had things she could give to her 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, even though she already finished her Christmas shopping. 
One year, she won two trees, she said. 
“I think it’s such a great event and I’m so proud that A&M, CTC and KISD have all joined in to do something positive for the students and the community, and it’s a great way to have Christmas fun,” Gilmore said. 
Copperas Cove city council member Dan Yancy attended the event with his wife, Cindy. 
Yancy shared that they had to park by the rodeo grounds because the parking lots were so full for the event. 
“I think it’s one of the best events of the year, without question and I also think it’s one of the most successful events fundraising wise,” Yancy said. 
The two come to the Festival of Trees every year, he said. 
“I think supporting our community is important and I think it’s one of the better ways to show it because it helps so many people,” Yancy said. 
Cindy said that she thought the event was fun and that it was affordable in that only one ticket was needed to win a tree. 
“You don’t see events like this that are sponsored by so many businesses that put so much into what they do,” Yancy said. “You can tell the pride that they put into it because of all that everything that goes with the tree as well as the tree itself.”
Sponsors of the 11 smaller trees include Toyota of Killeen, BKCW Insurance, Paul Stringfellow, Edward Jones, Seton Medical Center Harker Heights, Carlson Law Firm, Dr. Fred Barnett, Austin Commercial, Cleo Bay Honda & Subaru, Pension Professionals, Walmart #407, Walmart #6286, Nolan Creek Farm, KCEN-TV, Beck Family Foundation, Union State Bank, First National Bank Texas, Metroplex Health System, HEB, Garlyn Shelton, Ellis Air Systems, Monteith Abstract & Title Co., Pete Taylor and the Subhani Foundation. 
In addition to the meal served buffet style, there was a candy buffet and a mashed potato and macaroni and cheese bar, where guests filled a martini glass with macaroni and cheese, mashed sweet potatoes and then topped them with toppings such as brown sugar and pecans or sour cream, cheese and bacon. 
Entertainment was provided by the Texas Twisters “Party Band of Aggieland” who played country music for the 1,000 plus guests. 
Candy buffet sponsors included Great Western Dining Services, Marcis and Associates, Perry’s Office Plus, One Voice Communications, William D. Young, Financial Advisor. Entertainment sponsors included  David Blackburn, Cloud Real Estate, Hilltop Securities, Pete Horn and Dr. Cynthia Carter-Horn, InHouse Systems, Inc., Dr. Ed & Candace Mullen, Subhani Foundation.