During the week of November 22, 2015, over 50 professionally decorated trees filled the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center for the 31st annual Festival of Trees.

The charity event, which benefits medical research at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, featured auctions on numerous gingerbread houses and elaborately decorated Christmas trees along with a raffle to win the most elegantly designed trees. Families came from throughout the metro-Detroit area.

This year’s Festival of Trees attracted many more children than it did in recent years. Pictured to the left is Nicole. She was one of the dedicated children working hard and displaying their creativity at the children’s decorating tables. Ms. La Reine Sjo, a volunteer of the event for over 20 years, is sure that the crafting, ornament making, face painting, and other hands-on activities are some of the reasons for the massive outpouring of children who participated this year. “We try to encourage people to come out every year to have a good time with their children and at the same time, help the children at the Children’s Hospital,” Ms. Sjo stated.

Families who donated money had their names put a tree indicating their support for the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

Visitors could buy ornaments, hand-crafted stockings, and other homemade Christmas decorations, which also benefitted Children’s Hospital. The Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, English Gardens, and Palmer Moving and Storage were just a few of the countless sponsors of this year’s event. Dearborn has hosted the Festival of Trees since 2010. Organizers can’t wait for next year’s event.