Deck the Trees ‘warms bodies and hearts’ with record year

Annual fundraiser collects $60,000 for SVCM Fuel Fund

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
January 5, 2023

An entry by Good Mow Joe was named the tree in the Monte Vista Hotel that best represented the 2022 Deck the Trees theme, Let Heaven & Nature Sing. Photo by Fred McCormick

An annual holiday fundraiser addressing a critical need in the Swannanoa Valley received record support in its 12th year.

Deck the Trees, which benefits the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry Fuel Fund, raised $63,000 in its 2022 campaign, organizers announced, Jan. 3. The total, up more than $20,000 from last year, marked the largest single-year jump for the growing tradition.

“I think of all the tree creators as winners, as well as the donors,” said Libba Fairleigh, chair of the volunteer committee that meets throughout the year to coordinate the fundraiser. “The biggest winner of all is the community, for the help it gives to Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry and the joy it brings to all of us.”

Established in 2011, Deck the Trees has now raised over $250,000 for the nonprofit organization that assists hundreds of Swannanoa Valley residents each year with general needs, including food, clothing and basic utilities. The contributions from the annual fundraiser are vital to the SVCM Fuel Fund, which distributed $92,000 in emergency heating assistance to nearly 300 local households in 2022, according to executive director Kevin Bates.

“That’s children, parents and families who are warm tonight because people in our community continue to step up and give generously,” he said. “Receiving these funds from Deck the Trees, and from people who give through other means, we’re able to meet a need that’s incredible. “

Black Mountain Presbyterian Weekday School’s entry in the 2022 Deck the Trees was the top fundraiser of the entries featured in the Monte Vista Hotel. Photo by Fred McCormick

The yearly contribution from the event is more than an amazing gift, Bates added, it’s essential to the program.

“Not only do we have the lights from these trees warm the hearts of our community during the Holiday Season, the funds they raise warm the bodies of our neighbors,” he said. “I really want to thank everyone for their generous support, from the committee, to the community partners, businesses and people who decorated trees. None of this could be done without these gifts coming together.”

Twenty-one Christmas trees, each decorated to coincide with the theme - Let Heaven & Nature Sing - were displayed at various locations throughout the community, while 21 were featured in the Monte Vista Hotel, which has been home to the event since it began. The hotel hosted a Wednesday evening ceremony to close out the 2022 campaign, in which viewers were encouraged to give $1 per vote for their favorite entries.

The Deck the Trees Committee recognized winners in four categories during the event, including the trees raising the most money in the Monte Vista, as well as in the community. A panel of judges from Givens Highland Farms selected a tree from the community and another from the hotel that best represented the theme.

A panel of judges named the Town of Black Mountain tree, displayed in the foyer of Town Hall, as the entry best representing the 2022 Deck the Trees theme, Let Heaven & Nature Sing. Photo by Fred McCormick

An entry from Black Mountain Presbyterian Weekday School raised more money than its counterparts in the Monte Vista, while the tree in the window of Tyson’s Furniture received the most votes in the community.

The judges recognized the Town of Black Mountain’s display in the foyer of Town Hall as the community tree most representative of the 2022 theme, while Good Mow Joe was granted the same distinction among the entries displayed in the hotel.

Each of the four winners received a $100 gift card to Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails, located in the Monte Vista Hotel.

Tyson’s Furniture raised more money for the SVCM Fuel Fund with its 2022 Deck the Trees entry than any of the other 21 trees displayed in the community. Photo by Fred McCormick

“This was a huge year, and the committee has been overwhelmed by the generosity of this community,” said Deck the Trees Committee member Kat Achtemeier, who emceed the ceremony. “We were blown away this year.”

The record funds were raised through contributions from nearly 20 sponsors, a silent auction, an annual gala and voters, according to Achtemeier, who expressed gratitude on behalf of the committee.

“We’re well aware of the need in the community, and we keep that in mind every year when we work on this,” she said. “We’re committed to serving this community, and as a group, we’re very passionate about that. It’s very touching to live in a community that is passionate about it, too.”