Annual Spree of Trees event saw record amount of trees and money raised
By Isabella McCall, STAFF WRITER
SANFORD, Maine – Sanford’s Alumni Association hosted its annual Spree of Trees event from Thursday, Nov. 30 to Sunday, Dec. 3 at Memorial Gymnasium.
One hundred nineteen trees were set up with items on them, which is a record number for the event. The first year there were around 20 to 30 trees.
Some of the common items on the trees were gift cards, winter items, home improvement, outdoor items, books, food and sports.
The trees were donated from businesses, families and other organizations. The tree sponsors do not get any money but on the night of set up the Association gave them food, drinks and goodie bags as a token of appreciation.
The trees raffled off to attendees who bought entry to the event. The winners of the trees were informed on Sunday.
Aaron Tremblay, a board member and assistant principal at Sanford High School, estimated there were at least 4,000 people who attended over the four days. He also said that at the busiest times, there were several hundred people there at once.
Tremblay said that the Association deposited $49,000 in cash and $5,000 in Venmo. Credit card sales have not been determined yet. He expected that they hit at least $50,000, a record-breaking year for money made at the Spree of Trees and any event they have ever hosted. Last year, the Association made around $30,000 at the Spree of Trees.
Tremblay said, “Both our sponsors and the people that were coming and buying tickets were super generous.”
The Association funds mostly school projects that are not funded by the municipal budget. Examples of their projects are putting in the ticket booth at Alumni Stadium, funding the track equipment when Sanford High School switched schools, installing the fence underneath the Alumni Stadium bleachers and giving a yearly, $1,000 scholarship to the senior with the most amount of community service hours.
“We pledged a quarter of a million dollars almost ten years ago so we could have naming rights to the stadium, so we could call it Alumni Stadium,” said Tremblay, “We pledged to raise a quarter of a million dollars and to use that money to fund projects like what we’ve been doing.”
The Association’s website states that its mission is, “to foster a unity of purpose and spirit among alumni to positively impact our alma mater, its students, and the community.”
Tremblay said, “We are always looking for alumni or community members who want to be part of our organization or help us with our events.”
