Gardenia Court in Camana Bay will be transformed into an enchanted forest filled with Christmas trees between 15 and 19 November, when 14 trees, dripping with extravagant ornaments and gifts, will be on display. After that they will be auctioned off live at the gala dinner that marks the culmination of the annual Festival of Trees.
The public is encouraged to stop by and view the beautiful trees during the week, before the winning bidders take the trees home.
The Festival of Trees is an important fundraising event for the Little Cayman-based Central Caribbean Marine Institute and the 14 trees that will be on display will each have been sponsored by a local business, individual or family. Sponsors will both decorate the trees and place ‘gifts’ of all sorts under or on the tree.
“For example, the Southern Cross club are buying all handmade ornaments this year, the Book Nook give beautiful bundles of toys, Chris and Joanna Humphries purchase all sorts of things from Gawk & Leer, there’s even an iPad on one,” said Kate Pellow, development and communications director, CCMI. Some trees, she explained, focus more on beautiful decorations, while others place more importance on the ‘goodies’ that come with the tree. “There is a real range. At the lowest end of the scale the trees might be worth $600-$700 while at the other end of the scale there are trees that will fetch $2,000-$3,000,” she added.
At the end of the week, a gala dinner will be held at the Arts and Recreation Centre at Camana Bay where the trees will be auctioned. “All of the restaurants in Camana Bay are participating in the gala and each one will prepare a different course for the dinner,” said Ms Pellow. This includes the new restaurant Karoo, which is due to open just days before the event.
CCMI hopes to sell around 250 tickets to the gala. At the time of writing they had already sold over 200.
After covering minor expenses all proceeds go to CCMI.
This fundraising event is extremely important for the marine research organisation, explained Ms Pellow, not just to fund their important research projects, but also to cover maintenance and other operational costs. As a not-for-profit organisation, CCMI receives charitable donations but, she says, these are for very specific projects. Funds raised by the gala and auction however can be used to effect repairs, maintain equipment, and cover other sundry expenses. “These fundraisers are hugely important as it means you can do things that are not project specific. Without that backup we can’t function. It’s absolutely critical for backing up the organisation the rest of the year,” she said.
Related Videos
