Christmas tree auction raises thousands of dollars for local school district

The Ridgeline High School common area was filled with dozens of decorated Christmas trees and wreaths Monday night. By the time the evening was over, each tree and wreath had been auctioned and sent off to new homes or businesses.

“It was such a huge success. We couldn’t have asked for more support,” exclaimed Teri Lewis, Executive Director of the Cache Education Foundation. “The community really stepped up.” 

The trees and decorations were part of the 2nd annual Christmas Tree Jubilee presented by the Cache Education Foundation. It also included a prime rib dinner by Off Premise Catering and several silent auction items. Each tree was donated, some by local businesses or organizations, others by board members of the Cache Education.

Each wreath was donated by DWA Construction for each elementary school in the district. Some were decorated by local businesses, others by students and staff of schools in the Cache County School District. Some trees and wreaths included gift certificates or products from the sponsored business, others had specific themes. In total, there were 21 trees and 16 wreaths.

“We could not do this without the support from local businesses,” Lewis exclaimed. “They come, they decorate trees beautifully; they spend time (and) money. I know it takes hours and a lot of money to decorate some of these trees. The great thing about our local business leaders is they recognize how important education is and they step up to do what it takes to help us have a successful event. We couldn’t do it without their support.”

The foundation surpassed its fundraising goal for the evening by a wide margin. Lewis said 100% of funds that were raised from the event, which includes the dinner and all trees and wreaths that were auctioned off, are earmarked to provide more technology resources in the district. 

“The need for technology in the classroom is huge,” explained Lewis. “When we put these types of resources in the classroom that means your child doesn’t have to wait for a calculator, or your child doesn’t have to wait to take the Reading Counts quiz on a Chromebook because there aren’t enough.”

Lewis thanked all the businesses, auctioneer Jared Parker, sponsors and others who came together to help organize and execute the dinner and auction.

“We are so appreciative for all the support because it is all about the students, it’s all about education and how it will impact our future society,” Lewis continued. “These students are our future leaders. We need to do what we can to help support them and provide the resources necessary for education.”

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