Local Groups Ready for Parade of Trees

The Parade of Trees fundraiser has been a staple event of the Christmas Stroll in Sidney for years. The event is a partnership between the Boys & Girls Club of Richland County and the MonDak Heritage Center. Local groups and individuals decorate bright, festive wreaths and trees, which are sold at live auction to benefit the partners. The tradition continues in the 2017 Christmas season as local groups ready their trees for donation. Each group has its own motivation for decorating, but all in support of the local cause.

AWANA Clubs

Children from the Fellowship Church AWANA Clubs gathered during the regular Wednesday AWANA Clubs night to hang ornaments on the AWANA tree. The theme of the tree is "The True Story of Christmas". In keeping with the mission of AWANA, to bring children into a relationship with God, the tree is decorated with paper ornaments that tell the story of the birth of Jesus in numbered succession, as well as other scripture and figures related to the event. Club members answered a trivia question about the story of Christmas and the scripture to earn a turn to hang an ornament.

Sidney Lion's Club

Lion's Club members Vanessa Pooch and Jessica Cayko decorated a tree in jewel toned ornaments and feathers to create a "Flock Together" theme, "because people should get together, that's what the holidays are all about," said Pooch. The two ladies volunteered to decorate the tree on behalf of the Lion's Club. "The cool thing about Lion's is that there are so many ways to do service. Jessica and I love Christmas, so we decorate the tree, and that gets donated to benefit the community," Pooch said about the opportunity. The two have been dedicated to supporting the event for several Christmas seasons in an effort to help others. "If it weren't for volunteers, things wouldn't get done. I'm really proud of what we do," Cayko said. Pooch mirrored the sentiment, "When I was a child, I had every opportunity available to me. Now that I'm an adult, I want every child to have every opportunity to grow."

State Farm-Michelle Herres

Though fairly new to the Sidney area, State Farm Agent Michelle Herres and her teammates feel at home in Sidney's small town atmosphere. Michelle has "adopted Sidney as her home town, and we all love it here," said Andee Malarchick, office manager and State Farm teammate. Malarchick was by teammate Angela Acree in decorating a tall, red and white themed tree. "I try to get involved in the community as much as possible, especially when it benefits children," said Michelle. "It's kind of a soft spot for me." The three agents are grateful for an opportunity to give back to a community they have learned to love quickly.