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Submitted by Providence St. Peter Foundation

Providence St. Peter Foundation is pleased to announce that the 30th annual Christmas Forest raised $672,000 to benefit the Providence Mission of providing compassionate and excellent health care to all, with a special concern for the poor and vulnerable.

One of the amazing trees at this year’s Christmas Forest was “Christmas at Tiffany’s” decked out in blue and white with goodies from the famous jewelry store. Photo courtesy: Providence St. Peter Foundation.

This annual six-day event, sponsored by Titus-Will, is the foundation’s largest fundraiser and community event which brought in thousands of visitors to see the trees and wreaths decorated by volunteer designers. The trees and wreaths, as well as a number of donated specialty items, were then auctioned off at the dinner and gala to help support charity care, life-saving equipment and compassionate programs for Providence ministries in the southwest Washington region. Several trees and wreaths were pre-sold or were raffle items.

“This was the 30th anniversary of Christmas Forest, and the history and tradition of this magical event was so special this year,” shares Jen Foley, a Providence St. Peter Foundation board member who co-chaired the event with her husband Eric. “Both Eric and I were so humbled by the outpouring of generosity from gala attendees, and others who made gifts but could not attend the gala. Our incredible designers truly poured their hearts into their creations which made a beautiful event to start this holiday season.”

More than $307,000 of the total was raised to create the Providence St. Peter Hospital Dental Residency Program, making it the second highest total in Christmas Forest’s 30-year history. This program will provide critical dental care to the lowest income and medically compromised adults and improve outcomes of dental-related emergency center visits at St. Peter Hospital. The dental residency program will be located on the Providence St. Peter Hospital campus and will provide both primary and emergency dental care.

“Many members of the dental community were in attendance supporting the dental residency program,” shared Peter Brennan, executive director of the foundation. “We received a $55,000 match from the Washington State Dental Association which was a tremendous incentive for attendees to give generously. The support for the dental residency program from both the dental and medical community was truly evident and deeply appreciated.”

This adorable wreath from this year’s Christmas Forest was aptly titled “Merry Christmas.” Photo courtesy: Providence St. Peter Foundation.

A number of the trees and wreaths purchased were donated back to the community and can be seen in the lobby of St. Peter Hospital, Providence St. Peter Hospital Neurology Unit (9th floor) and Medical Unit (4th floor), Providence St. Peter Sunshine House, Providence Mother Joseph Care Center, St. Peter Hospital Surgical Waiting Area, Panorama Convalescent & Rehabilitation Center, Olympia Senior Center, Boys and Girls Club and Kaiser Permanente.

“Christmas Forest is about caring and providing compassionate health care to our most vulnerable citizens,” shares Rick Middleton, board president for the foundation. “It is our community’s responsibility to help care for those in need by giving of ourselves and doing all that we can to make a difference in the lives of so many. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all of our donors, volunteers and caregivers who made this event so very special.”

Christmas Forest will return in 2018 with public viewings and the gala over the November 30 – December 2 weekend.

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