Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital announced celebrations – the annual Festival of Trees

SALT LAKE CITY,  COVID-19 may additionally have disrupted our lives and compelled us to socially distance. But it cannot mess with Santa Claus or dim our excursion spirit.

The Intermountain Foundation and Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital introduced Thursday that one of the region's most enduring excursion celebrations – the annual Festival of Trees – will go ahead this yr in a reimagined way that addresses challenges posed by using the pandemic.

The Festival, which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, is produced via the Intermountain Foundation. The enjoyable and festive culture for Utah residents is a fundraiser to gain teenagers and households from throughout Utah and the Intermountain West who get hold of enormously specialised care at Primary Children's Hospital.

"I am so excited that Festival of Trees is persevering with this 12 months and that we will maintain our amazing lifestyle alive whilst assisting children who get damage or in poor health like me," stated Cami Carver, a 15-year-old most cancers survivor who obtained chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant at Primary Children's and nowadays is pursuing an performing career.

"The doctors, nurses and body of workers at Primary Children's are like household to me, and I desire to assist make certain different youngsters who want assist can get the identical sort of care I received," Cami added.

The theme of the Festival is "Make Good Grow" reflecting each the wealthy 50-year records of the Festival and its mission to assist unwell and injured teens develop up and attain their full potential.

The Festival will be held Dec. 1–5 and hosted by using Vivint Arena, domestic of the Utah Jazz. While various factors of the Festival are nevertheless in development, some include:

– Specially embellished bushes and different excursion gadgets on show for on line auction;

– A 90-minute stay broadcast proposing testimonies of youngsters served by way of Primary Children's, entertainers and different exceptional friends from Vivint Arena;

– A digital hub at www.makegoodgrow.org that will characteristic match announcements, a digital tree decorator, and images and movies highlighting the records of the Festival, alongside with volunteers who assist make it happen, and the young people who gain from care at Primary Children's.

The internet site will additionally provide possibilities to bid on trees, buy different excursion items, and donate to the hospital.

Every component of this year's Festival will be performed from a "safety first" vantage to guarantee enough COVID-19 protections for participants, volunteers, and the community.

"This has been a very difficult yr for our community, and the fiftieth anniversary of the Festival is the ideal chance to unify us all with the closing vacation match that combines our long-standing traditions with new tournament things to do and performances – in the most secure way possible," stated Melinda Simmons, Intermountain Foundation Community Development Board chair at Primary Children's Hospital, for which the annual Festival of Trees is a signature event.

Primary Children's Hospital is a not-for-profit, nationally-ranked pediatric acute care educating clinic that serves significantly injured and unwell youngsters in a five-state Intermountain West place that consists of Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, as nicely as Alaska – an location of roughly 400,000 rectangular miles.

The 289-bed clinic operates the region's solely Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, a 32-bed pediatric Intensive Care Unit and a Level four Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that treats newborns.

Primary Children's was once named one of America's "Best Children's Hospitals" in eight subspecialties for 2020-21 by using U.S. News and World Report – consisting of a No. 1 rating in neurology and neurosurgery affected person outcomes.

The Festival of Trees was once centered in 1970 with the aid of a crew of neighborhood female who desired to aid kid's offerings in Utah, realized of a Christmas tree public sale in Hawaii, and modeled their match after that.

Over the years, the Festival has been supported via hundreds of donors, volunteers, and households who appear ahead to staring at at and bidding on fantastically and frequently whimsically adorned trees, buying excursion items such as wreaths, scones and fudge, and taking part in a festive neighborhood gathering in the weeks earlier than Christmas.

Last year's Festival attracted about 100,000 site visitors and raised about $2.6 million to guide packages at Primary Children's.

"Primary Children's Hospital is at the coronary heart of our ongoing efforts to extend get entry to to rather specialised kid's offerings that truly don't seem to be reachable some other place to teenagers and households in want throughout the Intermountain West," stated Katy Welkie, CEO of Primary Children's and Vice President of Intermountain Children's Health. "The Festival performs a imperative function in spotlighting our mission and in elevating integral funding for Primary Children's Hospital, whilst at the identical time serving as our community's kick-off to the vacation season."

Intermountain Foundation Board Chair Scott Anderson, president and CEO of Zions Bank, expressed gratitude that the Utah Jazz and Vivint Arena team of workers had supplied to accomplice with this year's Festival and supplied the area as a domestic to the event.

"I am thrilled and excited that we're capable to use Vivint Arena to host this year's Festival and to assist carry cheer to the neighborhood and the youngsters at Primary Children's," Anderson said. "We are humbled and grateful for the generosity of Vivint Arena and the hundreds of neighborhood contributors and volunteers who are supporting us to proceed the magic of Festival of Trees for the gain of children. While this year's tournament will appear specific due to the pandemic, our dedication to help the fitness and well-being of the kids we serve is superior than ever as we embark on our intention to construct the nation's mannequin fitness gadget for children."

Jim Olson, President of Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment and the Utah Jazz, stated it is a privilege for Vivint Arena to host the Festival of Trees.

"The Festival of Trees and its beneficiary Primary Children's Hospital are in the hearts of all of us at Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment, and we are delighted to host the fiftieth anniversary of this significant excursion tradition," Olson said. "Vivint Arena is a neighborhood gathering region for memorable experiences, and even in these special circumstances, the Festival of Trees is a magical time for adolescents and households to view and bid on these fantastically adorned bushes and vacation items. With the measurement and accessibility of the arena, we hope to deliver excursion cheer and provide an array of seasonal occasions in a protected and socially distanced way."

While the early levels of the COVID-19 pandemic ultimate spring solid doubt on whether or not it would be feasible to keep the Festival of Trees in 2020, supporters determined to go ahead for the advantage of children and the neighborhood – and vowed to assist make this year's reimagined tournament greater and higher than ever.

"By launching the Festival's new digital elements, consisting of the internet site and stay broadcast, we're hoping to attain a long way greater humans than ever all through the region, bringing some much-needed excursion cheer to households and spreading the message that we can all 'make suitable grow' via aiding this year's Festival," stated Shauna Davis, who is Chair of the Festival of Trees Volunteer Board and whose household has a lengthy records of help for the event. "Our message is simple: Spread the word. Join us. Let's have some exciting and exhibit the world we can overcome what COVID-19 has thrown at us and make this year's Festival the excellent ever."