Nearly 35,000 people attended Memorial’s 29th annual Festival of Trees, which raised $380,306 to fund health-related projects and programs at Memorial Health System and in the Springfield community.

The family-friendly event continues to be a success because of the support of generous sponsors, talented designers, dedicated committee members and more than 1,000 volunteers who staff the nine-day event, said Amanda Johnson, event manager for the Memorial Medical Center Foundation.

“We are very happy with the results of Memorial’s 2018 Festival of Trees,” Johnson said. “The festival is a holiday tradition for people in central Illinois. Each year our guests are awed by the creativity designers put into the trees, wreaths, centerpieces and gingerbread structures.  We add new activities and attractions, like the sock skating rink to offer something different for our visitors. All the money raised from the festival is goes toward grants the Memorial Medical Center Foundation awards each spring.”

Memorial's Festival of Trees began in 1989 to benefit the mission of Memorial Medical Center. Since then, the festival has raised more than $5.2 million. Proceeds from Memorial’s Festival of Trees are used to fund grants focused on education, research, technology and patient care.

The 30th anniversary Festival of Trees will be Nov. 23 through Dec 1. The Gala will be Saturday, Nov. 16. The theme will be “Jingle Bells and Seashells.” The chair is Beth O’Shea.