The Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington took on a brand new initiative this year, seizing an opportunity presented by the scrapping of the city’s Christmas Tree pick-up. In a move that saved taxpayers $22,000, council decided there was no longer budget room for the city to pay for the annual tree collection. This left some homeowners strapped without a means by which to dispose of their tree.

Enter the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington (@ChildrensFdnGW), who saw the cancellation as a chance to raise valuable funds for their Grants program which helps less fortunate families afford to enrol children in activities. The Trees for Tots idea relied on willing local volunteers to dedicate their time and vehicles to venture throughout the city collecting the used trees. And they showed up in groves. Over 100 volunteers set up to collect over 1,500 trees and collected well over $20,000 for their efforts. The fundraising was helped by a generous donation of $5,000 from Scotiabank and aided by Guelph’s own Terry’s Tree Removal and the equipment donations of Battlefield Equipment Rental and Fred E. Prior & Sons.

This is just another example of Guelph’s willingness to help its own. If you’re new to Guelph, you’ll soon learn that the kindness spreads easily throughout the city with people, like the Trees for Tots volunteers, always willing to lend a hand. This year, the holiday spirit certainly wasn’t lost on Guelphites throughout the city, and thanks to their generosity, more children will have the opportunity to be involved in local programs in 2013.

Congrats Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington on a great success!