A festival of holiday fun, cheer
(File photo by MARY MALONE) During Kinderhaven's 2016 Festival of Trees Family Night, hundreds of guests enjoyed the decorated trees, cookies, hot cocoa and Santa. This year's Family Night, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled from 4-6 p.m. Thursday at the Bonner County Fairgrounds.
SANDPOINT — Kinderhaven is at it again, preparing to dazzle the community with the Festival of Trees this week.
The event kicks of Thursday evening with Family Night, where kids and adults alike can visit and get Polaroid pictures with Santa while enjoying cookies, hot cocoa and all the "beautifully" decorated trees, said Jennifer Plummer, executive director of Kinderhaven.
Family Night is free and open to the public.
"It is just an incredible community event and we just hope folks come out to it," Plummer said.
"We just love giving back to the community and opening up this really special, magical event for the kids."
Family Night is from 4-6 p.m. at the Bonner County Fairgrounds
The Festival of Trees will continue Friday with a holiday luncheon at 11 a.m. Guests will be directed to the silent auction, then to the main gala area for lunch and viewing of the trees. Plummer said a few tickets are still available for the luncheon at $50 each.
The Grand Gala on Saturday, which consists of dinner catered by Ivano's and the live auction of the trees, is sold out.
The Festival of Trees is Kinderhaven's biggest fundraiser, helping the organization continue as a community nonprofit "dedicated to supporting children in crisis and giving them back their right to thrive by providing a safe, secure home in which their emotional, physical and mental well-being are protected and enriched," according to its mission statement. Plummer said the funds raised help with Kinderhaven's operating budget.
"It covers a lot of our expenses throughout the year — it's really the only way that we can stay open is because of this event," Plummer said.
Kinderhaven is staffed 24 hours a day and is open to children at a moment's notice. It functions as a group foster home and emergency shelter for children who have been removed from their home for their safety. There is no time limit on how long a child can stay at Kinderhaven, so some might stay two days, while others might stay for two years depending on their situation.
For information or tickets to the luncheon, visit kinderhavensandpoint.com.
Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.