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THREE LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS MAKING A BIG IMPACT TO THOSE ALL OVER THE WORLD

Article by Andrea Reedy and Emily Shea
Originally published in Medina County Lifestyle

Trees for Troops

This program offers the perfect opportunity to spread holiday cheer to our nation's military bases. In 2005, the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation began as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization to advance the spirit of Christmas year-round for kids, families and the environment. Plans were soon developed for a national Trees for Troops program, with FedEx providing the shipping and logistics for the real Christmas trees to be delivered to military bases across the U.S. Through this program, Christmas tree growers, retailers and consumers from across the country generously donate fresh-cut Christmas trees to military families. One grower, in particular, is right here in Medina – the family-owned and operated Medina Christmas Tree Farm. 

Medina Christmas Tree Farm is a northeast Ohio icon, with thousands of Christmas trees that are either pre-cut or you-cut! They grow a variety of trees including Scotch Pine, White Pine, Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, Concolor Fir, Canaan Fir and Fraser Fir that range from tabletop size to over 15 feet tall. They are the only designated Trees for Troops site in Northern Ohio, and they've been participating in the annual program since its inception. 

"I truly respect those who serve in the military and protect us," says Medina Christmas Tree Farm owner, Charles Reichheld. "I know that they and their family are making sacrifices for us and this is a way to let them know they are appreciated."

Charles explains that patrons of the farm are given the opportunity to participate in the program when they come to get their tree for the year and members of the wider community can fill out a donation form on their website to donate a tree. What's more is that if they don’t have enough donors, Charles personally guarantees that 100 trees will be shipped no matter what. 

Through partners like Medina Christmas Tree Farm, the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation has delivered over 260,000 trees to members of the military and their families and FedEx has logged over 800,000 miles, or almost 32 trips around the globe since the program began in 2005. In 2020, over 16,000 trees were delivered to 79 military bases. 

The best way to become involved with Trees for Troops is to purchase a tree at Medina Christmas Tree Farm's Butler Farm location (3235 Hamilton Road) from Dec. 3-5. They will even begin taking donations on Nov. 1 and will continue collecting until Dec. 25. Later donations will be used for trees that are shipped the following year. When you buy a tree, you have the option to write a personal message on a special tag, attach it to the tree and add that tree to the FedEx trailer on-site. Your tree will then be picked up and routed to its designated military base. (The destination of the Christmas tree is chosen by the military, not the individual or group that donates it.) For more information about Trees for Troops and for other ways to donate, ChristmasSpiritFoundation.org.

For more information about Medina Christmas Tree Farm and to fill out a tree donation form, visit MedinaTrees.com.

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