Festival of Trees Winner Announced

News Release

      Release:  Immediate

Date:       December 3, 2018

Contact:  Sharon Crosby

Re:          Festival of Trees Winner

Festival of Trees Winner

TOCCOA, GA – December 3, 2018 – The eleventh annual Festival of Trees was held on November 30 and December 2 in the Historic Courthouse in downtown Toccoa. Fourteen trees were on display receiving a total of over 850 total votes. For $1 visitors were able to vote for their favorite tree.  Businesses and  non-profit organizations, decorated the trees, many with themes that reflected their organization.  Each group received the proceeds from their votes.  In addition to the money received from the vote, the tree with the most votes won a $500 grand prize.

The groups participating this year were; Toccoa Stephens County Chamber of Commerce for the Currahee Military Museum, 1^st Franklin Financial for Powerhouse for Kids, the Friends of the Ritz, the Lion’s Club for Girl Scout Troop 11423, Friends of the Toccoa Stephens County Library, Cubscout Pack 77, Stephens County Hospital, Shepherd’s Hill Academy, Family Connections of Stephens County, Barefoot Youth of Toccoa First United Methodist Church, Clary Care Center and Wilkinson Center, Stephens County Senior Center, Carnes Creek Volunteer Fire Department and Sweet Mountain Honey Co.

The tree with the most votes over the two - day display was sponsored by Sweet Mountain Honey Co. for CASA. The beautifully decorated tree was bee themed and showed many uses of honey. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Children is a network of 951 community-based programs that recruit, train and support citizen-volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in courtrooms and communities. Volunteer advocates—empowered directly by the courts—offer judges the critical information they need to ensure that each child’s rights and needs are being attended to while in foster care. Volunteers stay with children until they are placed in loving permanent homes. For many abused children, a CASA volunteer is the only constant adult presence in their lives.

“Congratulations to Sweet Mountain Honey for winning the most votes and for raising much needed funds for CASA. We are so thankful for the wonderful work that CASA does for the children in our community. All the trees were beautiful and each group worthy of the money that was raised,” said Sharon Crosby, City of Toccoa Special Events Coordinator. “We would like to thank each organization and business that put up a tree. Each one was beautiful and reflected the group they represented.”