Meanwhile, Christmas tree sales in Billings, MT are strong

Far away, in Billings, Montana, the Magic City Optimist Club Christmas tree lot was faring well. They also said that tree sales were up this year and are thankful for how the project will benefit many in the community including various youth projects like the YMCA After School Youth Rally Room the Special Children's Camp and the Boys and Girls Club, among others.


KULR-8 Television, Billings, MT

Christmas Tree lots wrap up for the season

As Christmas Day approaches, nothing feels better to an Optimist Club member working at a fundraising tree lot than this post from the Optimist Club of Greater Vienna.

Christmas trees are often the biggest fundraiser that an Optimist Club pursues and the opportunity to have the week off before Christmas due to fast and swift sales is a blessing for the club and its families.

But it also signifies something else; the economy is getting better. With more money circulating, families can invest in small pleasures and give back to the community at the same time. Buying a Christmas tree from a fundraising tree lot serves that purpose. Congratulations to all!

Post by Optimist Club of Greater Vienna.

Festival of Trees at the Optimist Youth Home

Christmas trees are an important part of the holiday season and many Optimist Clubs use them as fundraisers for the projects that they will do throughout the year. In Southern California, Optimist Clubs are using Christmas trees to help raise funds for another cause.

According to Janet Bennett Bryant, The Van Nuys' Airport Optimist Club, among others decorated Christmas trees for the Festival of Trees at the Optimist Youth Home. The Festival of Trees took place on December 1, 2013 and marks the 61st consecutive year that Optimist Clubs have come together for this fundraising activity. The Optimist Youth Homes and Family Services, a charitable organization that provides services to more than 500 at-risk youths and their families every day, has been supported by Optimist Clubs since 1920.

Shown here are the designers and submission from the Van Nuys' Airport Optimist Club. The ornaments on their tree were all handmade. Thanks to Janet Bennett Bryant for the photo and story.

The oldest tree lot in Texas

The Christmas season sends Optimist Clubs out into the cold for fundraising activities that include, among other things, Christmas Tree lots! Of course if you belong to an Optimist Club in Texas, you're not going to be as cold as you might be in the northern states.That's why the Alamo Heights Optimist Club Christmas Tree lot has been successful for 57 years.

According to their publicity efforts, the Alamo Heights Optimist Club tree lot is the oldest and largest Christmas Tree lot in Texas and it's been manned by Optimist Club members at the same location, at the corner of Austin Hwy and Broadway, since its inception.

In addition to opening up the tree lot, the Optimist Club is engaged with all holiday festivities in the community. It participates in the holiday parade and it throws a party at the lot with a band as a kick-off celebration. All of the excitement starts on November 23.

That's right. Christmas is only a little over thirty days away. Happy holidays are here.

50 years of Christmas tree sales for the Deerfield Optimists

Click for more pictures.

Another day brings us to another Optimist Club charitaable Christmas Tree lot.

This time we visit the Optimist Club of Deerfield, Illinois where they have been using the proceeds from tree sales to offset expenses for projects in their community for 50 years.

In fact, the Deerfield Optimists make it a point to reach out to the community with a project at least once per month with projects like Mudfest, the Halloween Hoopla and Optimist International Oratorical and Essay Contests and the Illinois District Just Say No to Drugs Poster Contest.

Please help them make even more happen in the community in 2012 by buying your tree at the Deerfield Optimist charitable Christmas Tree Sale at 836 Jewett Park Drive or get even more involved by joining them. Contact President Mary Lou Heinrichs today.

Christmas trees for childhood literacy

This year marks the 57th year that the Optimist Club of Austin, Texas has offered charitable Christmas Trees for sale. This year they are located at the corner of San Gabriel and North Lamar and they offer five different types of trees, Noble Fir, Fraser Fir, Grand Fir, Scotch Pine and Natural Douglas Firs.

I think that kind of history and selection makes them an expert in their community. And of course the Austin Optimist Club is also the expert on bringing out the best in children for proceeds from the tree sales fund projects throughout the year like the Junior Golf Program, Optimist International programs, and local community organizations including, among other things, the Texan/Texanne Scholarships.

The Austin Optimist Club is also involved in childhood literacy programs and they encourage their patrons to bring a new or gently used book to the tree lot to donate to bookspring, a community effort to help children develop the love of reading.

Heading home from the Austin Optimist
 Club Christmas Tree lot. 

Optimist Club members do so many wonderful things throughout the year. Please take this opportunity to support them by purchasing a charitable Christmas Tree.

Holiday cheer that lasts all year

This season, like many before, the St. Andrews Optimist Club of South Carolina is in the Christmas Tree business. According to the video, they conduct this annual fundraiser so that they can provide projects throughout the year for children in the community.

Projects highlighted in the video are: Families Helping Families, Ray Tanner Home Run, Optimist Oratorical Contest, Be All You Can Be, and the Children's Garden. Find out more by watching the video, visiting the St. Andrews Optimist Club website and by stopping by to purchase a charitable Christmas Tree.

Located just past Harbison on St. Andrews Road, the St. Andrews Optimist Club charitable Christmas Tree Sale is going on now. Hurry in for holiday cheer with an Optimist promise that the cheer will last all through the year.

How to sell goodwill

Henry Graham, Sr. says that the secret to selling charitable Christmas Trees is snow and since the Optimist Club of Clayton, Missouri has bee hosting this fundraising activity for 64 years, I'm inclined to believe that he knows what he's talking about.

However, tucked inside this story from KSDK.com is what I believe is the true secret: goodwill. The Clayton Optimist Club connects with their patrons by snapping a photo of them one year and then giving it to them the following year as a "remember when" gift. What a cool idea.

The Clayton Optimist Club charitable Christmas Tree lot is at the corner of Forsyth and Carondelet Plaza, Clayton, MO. Stop by soon to have your picture taken and know that your purchase will help children year-round. That's pretty cool too.

Click to play video. Clayton Opimist Club on KSDK.com.