Typically gifts go under the Christmas Tree, but at the 2017 Festival of Trees Blue Sky Region, the tree is the gift that keeps on giving.
A tree lighting ceremony at the North Bay Regional Health Centre launched this years festival which runs December 7th and 8th at the Davedi Club.
Over two dozen Christmas trees have been donated and decorated by North Bay and area business and groups, to be auctioned off to raise much needed funds for two closely linked causes; the NBRHC Foundation and the PADDLE program-Providing Adults with Developmental Disabilities Lifelong Experiences.
The Foundation is raising money to purchase a $25,000 portable dental X-Ray machine for the hospital's operating room. Patients with high level special needs are often required to travel to larger centres to receive basic dental care, including preventative services, because they require general anesthesia or full sedation.
"A dental x-ray unit for the OR will provide us with the opportunity to take X-Rays on patients with high level special needs that we're not able to do in our home offices. This equipment provides them with thorough treatment in the OR, allowing them to stay local here in North Bay, rather than travelling to centres like Toronto or Barrie," explained Dr. Melissa Dent, Dentist at North Bay Family Dentistry and Head of Dentistry Service at the North Bay Regional Health Centre.
"It's difficult for both parents and patients to travel and stay overnight due to weather or anxiety, just to have a routine dental exam or treatment."
Carrie Camirand is a member of the PADDLE program. Mom Judy says her daughter is someone who would greatly benefit from the new equipment.
"For over 10 years we've been going to Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto where we got all of Carrie's dental care. So we had to travel in some crazy weather, stay at a hotel because it was easier to be there close to Mount Sinai," said Camirand.
"The hard part was watching Carrie in the dental chair, because our dentist would not put her under for her cleaning. She's visually impaired and had a bad dental experience years ago, so she would fight like heck and he would just hold her down and keep doing her cleaning. We've already had one cleaning done here in the hospital while she was put under and it was so much easier. Getting this piece of equipment will make it easier to get an x-ray while they're out."
Sharing in the festival profits is PADDLE, which operates five days a week, offering life skills, recreation, academic and community focused programming for people that have complex special needs.
"Such as a developmental disability, a physical disability and maybe a mental health disability as well. The age to belong to the program is unlimited. We are currently serving 34 people. We run on charitable donations and the small fees participants pay, so this is so important to us because it makes such a difference. We have people who because of PADDLE, are contributing and volunteering and doing so many things in our community," said Megan Johnston, PADDLE program coordinator.
"We're going to make sure the fees that we charge participants remain affordable, because most are on limited incomes. So we want to make sure that nobody is ever turned away from PADDLE because they can't afford to come."
Festival of Trees coordinator, Jean Jamieson, says the goal originally was to have 20 trees available to be auctioned off, that number now sits at 25, and by the time the event rolls around, Jamieson says it could be even higher.
Many of the trees take on a theme, such as a travel tree, a shopping tree, a dinner tree, all decorated with certificates and gifts as well as traditional decorations.
"We have all the service clubs on board to support us as well which will make it even more successful than it has been in the past. The tree that we used today will remain at the hospital and we are selling draw tickets at the gift shop or through the Foundation, for $5 each or five for $20. The tree will be drawn on December 6th, and it will be delivered to the winner's home, 'as is,'" said Jamieson.
New this year is the addition of wreaths, as well as a collection of gift baskets.
Public viewing begins on December 7th. The live and silent auctions begin at 7 PM the following evening..
