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Going home with Minnie’s Merry Christmas was the goal of many at Saturday’s 4th Annual Light Up the Season Tree Raffle where a sold out crowd competed for 27 unique trees. |
Light Up the Season Tree Raffle:
Everyone a kid for Boys & Girls Clubs
November 13, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Although conventional wisdom is Christmas is really for children about 250 adults were acting like kids when it came to Saturday’s 4th Annual Light Up the Season Tree Raffle benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley.
With trees adorned with jewelry, tools, collectibles, tasty snacks and fine liquor, toys, baby items and dozens of other items — even money! — in a few short years the unique Light Up the Season has become a community favorite.
“We sold out within days of announcing the event,” said B&GCSCV CEO Jan Marholin.
And she noted as she looked around the packed Community Center, “Next year we’re going to need a bigger room!”
Decorated trees, each 4-feet-tall faux pines bursting with wonderful decorations and prizes laid out below the bottom branches, showed the generosity of 27 sponsors that either dress the trees themselves — each adhering to a theme — or have others do the design.
The trees lined the walls of the center, kicking off a raffle ticket buying frenzy by guests flagging down sellers wearing easy to see antlers.
B&GCSCV Board President Ari Larson welcomed the crowd noting the event was a “Wonderful way to start off and celebrate the season” as well as the generous support of club kids and their programs.
The club said Marholin serves more than 1,400 children and youth in 10 locations in Santa Paula, Fillmore and Piru.
“Our kids are our community’s most valuable asset,” and the club provides them “a safe place to go after school where they receive homework assistance,” participate in enrichment activities and “programs that keep them physically active and increase their social skills.”
The mission of the club is to enable all young people, especially those “that need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible and happy citizens.”
In the crowd were Santa Paula City Councilwoman Ginger Gherardi, Fillmore City Councilwoman Diane McCall, Camarillo Vice Mayor Mike Morgan, Santa Paula Police Chief Steve McLean and Camarillo Police Chief – VCSO Commander Monica McGrath among others.
The crowd responded gladly to the call of winning a decorated tree: Marholin noted the event was founded by club supporter Becci Orlando that also, “Does beautiful designs for those who sponsor a tree but want someone else to dress it…and she and the other designers did a fabulous job, each tree is wonderful!”
Peggy Kelly and her granddaughter, 11-year-old Amber Wineman handled the Tree Raffle, which drew cheers, jeers and screams as winning numbers were called and those lucky enough to go home with a tree — some won more than one! — posed with their prize.
The Name’s Santa-Santa Claus sponsored by the Rotary Club had a James Bond theme as designed by Marilyn and Zoe Appleby; Life is Juicy was pretty tasty too with a tree sponsored by Gina and John Marquez, the former who did the design and the latter who was helping at the bar, loaded with Juicy Couture items. Merry Merry Minions brought chuckles and plenty of ticket droppers who wanted the cartoon themed tree sponsored by CP Aviation and designed by Judy McCarthy.
Season’s Greetings from the Seashore, sponsored by the Fillmore Firefighters Association and designed by Becci Orlando, was a unique and lovely beach take on the holiday while Steampunk Style sponsored by Xibeo and designed by Te’a Whitney, showed why Victorian industrial designs mixed with a dash of sci-fi has become a fashion and literature rage.
Good Things Come in Small Packages was proven with the tree sponsored by George Thompson Diamond Jewelry featuring fabulous gems and accessories as designed by Orlando, who also put the zest in the Zest of Life tree sponsored by Limoneira filled with things good for body, soul and mind.
Rancho Pajaro sponsored by Guy Cole and designer Seana-Marie Sesma was resplendent with brilliantly colored peacock items for decorating and table use and All I Want for Christmas is Money, sponsored by Santa Paula Community Bank and designed by Diana Williams, was dressed in everybody’s favorite shade of green — cash.
Deck the Cars was the vehicle lovers delight as sponsored by Santa Paula Chevrolet and designed by Pearl Galvan and Jenae Quintana while the Orlando designed Happy Fallidays sponsored by the Law Offices of Ben Schuck & Katherine Becker was everything people love about Fall.
Honey Do was a wonderland of tools sponsored by California Designers Choice Custom Cabinetry, Inc. and designed by the Mulchay Family.
Tree winner Jennifer Wineman of Newbury Park was especially happy as in year’s past she won the Harley Davis theme tree that had also made the perfect holiday present for her husband.
“I’ll buy him a pair of pants,” to go with the tool treasures, she joked.
Out of Africa was a unique mix of luxurious animal skin patterned items from handbags and accessories to luggage and everything in between sponsored by R&R Plumbing and designed by Angela Evans.
A Cosmopolitan Christmas in the City was based on Cosmopolitan magazine and Sex in the City with fun items for a frisky evening sponsored by the Villegas Family and designed by Galvan and Quintana.
Star Wars “The Force Awakens” was a great intergalactic treat for all space adventurers even if they haven’t yet seen the latest installment of the famed film series as designed by Pamela Lindsay and sponsored by Go Care. A His & Hers Holiday was a cozy prize of staying home sipping hot chocolate and some wine while wearing flannel jammies as designed by Galvan and Quintana and sponsored by Decker, Farrell & McCoy. Heaven and Nature Sing in Memory of Lovely Elda was an Orlando designed tribute tree featuring Angels, birds and other decorations to bring beauty and peace to hearth and home.
Those in the audience familiar with Maria Bombara’s passion for all things Disney cheered when she won Minnie’s Merry Christmas sponsored by the Bartelson Family and designed by Galvan and Quintana.
Posing with her Minnie-bedecked tree gave Bombara, who worked on planning the event and was serving as a ticket seller, runner and go-to person, a chance to relax — at least for a moment!
Christmas in Candyland was indeed a sweet treat with shimmering peppermint decorations and goodies that even included make up sessions sponsored by The Robledo Family of Diamond Realty and designed by Theresa Robledo. Those primed for relaxing looked forward to winning ‘Tis the Season for Serenity, a Zen-like experience complete with luxury soaps, delicious teas, soothing candles and other items to make a perfect spa day sponsored by Jane Deal and designed by Galvan and Quintana. On a Starry Night was perfect for star watchers with its array of games, gauges and equipment for gazing sponsored by the Tate Family and designed by Jamie and Lisa Tate.
Santa’s Little Yelper was perfect for the dog lover with an array of treats appealing to every canine sponsored by Kulwiec Group Architects and designed by Galvan and Quintana. It was only fitting that Enchanted Forest was next, a wonderland of the wild designed by Orlando for Pacific Petroleum.
Cowabunga Christmas was for fans of Teenage Mutant Turtles, a riot of fun characters sponsored by Santa Paula Unified School District and designed by Emma Posadas. Pretty in Pink Holiday was a tree of jewelry dreams that brought sighs from the audience as designed by Ari Larson with her line of Vivi Jewelry.
But it was the All I Want for Christmas is My Man Cave sponsored by the Santa Paula Firefighters Association that got plenty of attention, not just for its man cave accessories — think beer — but especially when SPFFA President Austin Macias mock-modeled the holiday underwear hung on the tree.
