A Winter Event You Won't Want to Miss!

A Little History About the Spectacle-

     In 2006, an idea was born.  Wouldn't it be neat if Cape Cod Charitable FunRaisers could create an event with beautifully decorated Christmas trees?  Non-profit organizations would decorate 15- 20 trees which would then be displayed somewhere in the community. People would come and view the trees and be so inspired by both the beauty of the trees and the hard working non-profits that they would buy "Tree Bucks" to try to win the tree that was their favorite.  Each Tree Buck would cost $10 and the donor could choose which non-profit would get their $10 by placing the Tree Buck in the box next to the tree decorated by their favorite non-profit.  We would tie this event into a Christmas stroll type of event where people would be inspired to be generous during the holiday season while taking a chance that for their donation they might actually win a beautiful tree.  It would be a win-win for the non-profit and the donor and Cape Cod Chartiable FunRaisers would continue their work of helping the non-profits in our community.

     So, Bill Murphy, president of Cape Cod Charitable FunRaisers set out to find a place on Cape Cod that could host 20 artificial Christmas trees, is located in a busy area where people would be out and about during the holidays and also participates in a holiday stroll.  The JFK Museum on Main St. in Hyannis turned out to be the ideal spot to hold the first Spectacle of Trees during the Hyannis Christmas Stroll in 2006.  It could easily hold 20 trees, it's located right on Main St., the heart of the Stroll, and the JFK Museum would also benefit from the amount of people walking through the building, many for the first time.  After a successful event in 2006, the Spectacle became a tradition and can be found at the JFK Museum in Hyannis every December during the Christmas Stroll.

How One Thing Led to Another-

     During the decorating of the first Spectacle of Trees, a remarkable thing was noted.  Some trees were elaborately decorated with beautiful ornaments, exquisite ribbons and sparkly lights.  They were breathtaking and really inspired us to want to take them home.  Others were less aesthetically eye-catching  but they made us stop and look because hanging from the branches were gift certifcates, or miniature paintings!  Under a couple of trees were presents left by the elves who were setting up those trees.  It seemed that some of the non-profits had items to give away with the trees.  When the person won a tree with presents on it, near it and under it, that person would get to have everything on, behind and under the tree as well as the tree itself.  It certainly gave people something to think about. 

A tree that was all ready to be set up and the presents to go with it?  Who wouldn't want to win that?

     And during that first Spectacle of Trees in 2006, we saw what people will do to help those who are needy during the holidays.  Some people bought Tree Bucks to put in the boxes of the trees made by their favorite non-profit, not caring what "gifts" were included with the tree.  Others were not partial to a particular non-profit but they loved the look of a certain tree or they really wanted a particular item that went with the tree, so their Tree Bucks went to favorite trees. We also noticed that people were very generous with their donations for Tree Bucks.  They easily bought 5-10 Tree Bucks at a time because they just couldn't pick one tree that they liked the best or they wanted a 2nd or 3rd chance to win that tree.  That meant $50-$100 donated to a non-profit and a chance for someone to take home a favorite tree.

     And so the spectacular event known as the Spectacle of Trees took off.  The non-profits have outdone themselves year and after year and the donations from generous people in the community continue to warm our hearts.  What started as pretty ornaments and a few presents under the tree has turned into a whole sleigh full of goodies for everyone!  We are met with gasps of "ooh look" and "oh, wow" and "man, I want that one!" as everyone follows the parade of trees that seems unending in nooks and crannies of the museum.  People say they can't choose their favorite, so they just have to buy more Tree Bucks to satisfy their yearnings!

2009 Beneficiaries

A Baby Center

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Cape Cod and the Islands

Boys & Girls Club of Cape Cod

Cape Cod Baseball League

Cape Cod Charitable FunRaisers

Cape Cod Child Development

Cape Cod Community College

Cape & Islands United Way

Centerville Museum

Champ Homes

Children's Cove

Cultural Center of Cape Cod

Dream Day Cape Cod

Kiwanis of Hyannis

Kiwanis of Mashpee

Kiwanis of Sandwich

Marine Corps League

Ryan Family Amusements

 How Can You Get Involved?

  The Spectacle of Trees was December 3rd, 4th and 5th at the JFK Museum on Main St. in Hyannis, MA.  20 local non-profits are worked hard to create magnificent trees.  They are seeking donations of goods and services to put on, under and near their trees for this year's Spectacle and it is sure to be even more amazing than last year.  Looking a these pictures from 2008, you can see that these trees truly are remarkable and some are even works of art!  As soon as the trees are ready for display, we will put up pictures for the 2009 Spectacle of Trees.

      Plan to spend some time checking out all of the trees and the non-profits that have decorated them.  Buy your Tree Bucks and then go spend them!  For each Tree Buck that is put in the box of a non-profit organization's tree, that non-profit will earn $10.  The more Tree Bucks you put in a box, the better your chances of winning the tree and the more money that non-profit will earn.  If you are one of the lucky people whose name is chosen at 7:30pm on December 5th, you will take home the tree, the decorations and every present that is on, under or on the wall behind that tree.

Will you be the person who takes home one of these amazing trees? 

Will you be able to cross everyone off your Christmas list because you bought a couple of Tree Bucks and won enough presents to cover everyone on your list?   

Will you bring home a trip to Ireland, a Wii, tickets to sporting events, orignal artwork and things we can't even imagine? 

Will you join us in helping our local non-profits so they can continue to do the amazing work they do in our community? 

Will you tell your family and friends that this is a sight they DO NOT want to miss? 

Will you feel good that you helped out those less fortunate?

  Let's work together to make someone else's dreams come true this holiday season.  We will see YOU at the 2009 Spectacle of Trees.