Oh, Christmas tree, Oh, Christmas tree

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The Grinch. Cookie Monster. The Griswolds. Darth Vader.

Dozens of Elkhart General associates, nurses and doctors stretched the boundaries of their imagination when they decorated these 33 miniature trees for a Mini Christmas Tree fundraiser.

See one in our photo gallery that’s your favorite? Or two or three?

Now through Saturday, Dec. 16, stop by the Elkhart General Emergency Department and cast your vote for your favorite tree or trees, which are on display in a staff hallway. A few trees were even decorated and donated by community groups.

Tickets are $1 each or 10 tickets for $5. You can purchase them from any Emergency Department Gaining Excellence (EDGE) team member or from the triage RN in the EGH Emergency Department.

ALL the money raised will go toward making the holiday special and memorable for our pediatric patients at Beacon Children’s Hospital. Art therapist Sarah Tyler is planning something special for the kids.

Here’s a little more info about the contest. Here’s our conversation with Deb Fields, RN, who works at the Elkhart General Emergency Department and helped spearhead the Mini Christmas Tree fundraiser.

How did you come up with the idea for the contest?

“We had previously done a pumpkin decorating contest for Halloween in the department and our staff really enjoyed this. We thought it would be fun to do the same for Christmas, but with mini Christmas trees. The EDGE Team (Emergency Department Gaining Excellence) sponsors a fundraiser each year to support different programs in our area. This year we decided to combine the fun decorating with our fundraiser as an inaugural event. We hope this will become an annual tradition.”

How’d you decide on donating fundraiser proceeds to the art therapy program at Beacon Children’s Hospital?

“After talking with Beacon Children’s Hospital staff, we were informed of the programs that are in need of monetary assistance. With this being a decorating contest, we thought what better program to donate to than the art therapy program.”

What has the associate response been like? 

“We have had an enormous amount of support by our staff members and Elkhart Public Safety agencies in volunteering their time to decorate the trees provided by the EDGE Team.  We currently have 35 trees on display for voting. Although the voting just began, we have had a positive and energetic response from our fellow associates here at EGH.”

What’s been the best part of this holiday event?

“We have truly enjoyed seeing our fellow associates get excited over this project!  They have spent many weeks planning and decorating their trees, which is evident when you look at all the beautiful, fun, and crazy masterpieces they have created.  We are also excited that the Elkhart Police and Elkhart Fire Departments participated in this project as well. We are also looking forward to delivering some of the decorated trees to Beacon Children’s Hospital after the contest is over.”