thedrifter
11-29-07, 06:32 AM
Festival of Trees gets helping hands
CYNDI BROWN
November 29, 2007 - 12:55AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Last Christmas was the first year Luis Penalugo had ever had a live Christmas tree.
Wednesday, he had 65.
Penalugo, a private first class, was one of eight Marines in a working party from Camp Johnson who spent the day helping Onslow Caregivers prepare for this weekend's Festival of Trees.
Now in its fifth year, Festival of Trees is a fundraiser for Onslow Caregivers. The event helps raise the money the nonprofit needs to help support Onslow County Home Health and Hospice.
This year's festival will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. and Monday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the American Legion building, located at 146 Broadhurst Road in Jacksonville.
The $1 donation that gets attendees in the door allows them to enjoy musical entertainment, bid on an assortment of antiques, sports memorabilia, vacations and more during a silent auction that ends Sunday, buy raffle tickets, take in art displays and shop in the country store and sweet shop. And it lets them take in the array of trees decked out by sponsoring organizations and businesses.
"It's a lot of work, but it's fun," said Shirley Moore, co-chair for the festival. "When you get everything completed by Friday night, you think, 'I can't believe we did this.'"
Moore has been a part of the festival since its inception - and after the first one, she said, there was never any doubt that the event would become an annual one.
"The first year was so successful, it never entered our heads not to continue," she said.
However, it's not something they did - or could continue to do - alone, she said.
"The military really is a big help with the festival, and the volunteers in the community are tremendous," she said.
The Marines, she said, send working parties to help with preparation and cleanup, and the Navy chief petty officers help get items for the auction and country store out of storage and deliver the trees to the sponsors after the festival.
Wednesday's Marine Corps crew spent the morning, along with Caregiver volunteers, prepping the trees: trimming errant branches, placing the trees in stands and spraying them with "No-Burn," a fire retardant.
Pfc. Jalyssa Nava said she was ready to do whatever task they asked her to.
"Just let us know how youwant it done, and we'll get the job done," she said. "We always keep busy."
Nava, like the others in the working party, is expected to begin classes next week for her warehouse clerk occupational specialty. While Wednesday's work wasn't exactly job-related, Nava said she was happy to help out, particularly on a holiday-themed assignment.
"A lot of us right now, we go to Wal-Mart and get little Christmas trees to put in our rooms," she said. "It brings back home, like if you get a real tree at home, it brings back what you do at home.
"It brings back memories."
The Marines started at 7:30 a.m. By 10:30, they still had a stack of trees to place in stands but were making obvious progress.
"At first I was like, 'Wow, we're never gonna be done," Penalugo said, adding that he was enjoying the work.
And even after 65 trees, Penalugo said he wasn't tired of looking at them - in fact, he hoped to make it back out this weekend for the actual festival.
"We're not that far, so I'll try to come with some of the guys," he said. "Everybody loves Christmas."
Ellie
CYNDI BROWN
November 29, 2007 - 12:55AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Last Christmas was the first year Luis Penalugo had ever had a live Christmas tree.
Wednesday, he had 65.
Penalugo, a private first class, was one of eight Marines in a working party from Camp Johnson who spent the day helping Onslow Caregivers prepare for this weekend's Festival of Trees.
Now in its fifth year, Festival of Trees is a fundraiser for Onslow Caregivers. The event helps raise the money the nonprofit needs to help support Onslow County Home Health and Hospice.
This year's festival will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. and Monday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the American Legion building, located at 146 Broadhurst Road in Jacksonville.
The $1 donation that gets attendees in the door allows them to enjoy musical entertainment, bid on an assortment of antiques, sports memorabilia, vacations and more during a silent auction that ends Sunday, buy raffle tickets, take in art displays and shop in the country store and sweet shop. And it lets them take in the array of trees decked out by sponsoring organizations and businesses.
"It's a lot of work, but it's fun," said Shirley Moore, co-chair for the festival. "When you get everything completed by Friday night, you think, 'I can't believe we did this.'"
Moore has been a part of the festival since its inception - and after the first one, she said, there was never any doubt that the event would become an annual one.
"The first year was so successful, it never entered our heads not to continue," she said.
However, it's not something they did - or could continue to do - alone, she said.
"The military really is a big help with the festival, and the volunteers in the community are tremendous," she said.
The Marines, she said, send working parties to help with preparation and cleanup, and the Navy chief petty officers help get items for the auction and country store out of storage and deliver the trees to the sponsors after the festival.
Wednesday's Marine Corps crew spent the morning, along with Caregiver volunteers, prepping the trees: trimming errant branches, placing the trees in stands and spraying them with "No-Burn," a fire retardant.
Pfc. Jalyssa Nava said she was ready to do whatever task they asked her to.
"Just let us know how youwant it done, and we'll get the job done," she said. "We always keep busy."
Nava, like the others in the working party, is expected to begin classes next week for her warehouse clerk occupational specialty. While Wednesday's work wasn't exactly job-related, Nava said she was happy to help out, particularly on a holiday-themed assignment.
"A lot of us right now, we go to Wal-Mart and get little Christmas trees to put in our rooms," she said. "It brings back home, like if you get a real tree at home, it brings back what you do at home.
"It brings back memories."
The Marines started at 7:30 a.m. By 10:30, they still had a stack of trees to place in stands but were making obvious progress.
"At first I was like, 'Wow, we're never gonna be done," Penalugo said, adding that he was enjoying the work.
And even after 65 trees, Penalugo said he wasn't tired of looking at them - in fact, he hoped to make it back out this weekend for the actual festival.
"We're not that far, so I'll try to come with some of the guys," he said. "Everybody loves Christmas."
Ellie