Rotary Club of South Anne Arundel County
presents the
Lights of Kindness charity event
. The event will be hosted by Homestead Gardens. We would like to invite the creative minds of your employees, customers, and social media friends to help us inspire more holiday spirit in our area while benefiting well-deserving local non-profits.
Interested? To participate in this wonderful event, contact fellow BWI Business Partnership member Deborah Cook ([email protected]), President-Elect of the Rotary Club of South Anne Arundel County. Please indicate Sponsor name and Sponsor contact info with contact name, address, email and phone, and sponsor level, along with Charity and Charity contact name, address, email and phone.
ABOUT THE EVENT:
Rotary's Lights of Kindness is a unique Holiday tree decorating contest that allows businesses to market themselves while raising thousands of dollars for local non-profit organizations and the Rotary Club Foundation of South Anne Arundel County.
The goal of this event is to raise awareness for both non-profits and businesses that strive to make our community a better place. Your tree will be placed inside Homestead Gardens from November 30 - December 3. Your business and supported non-profit will have branding at the base of your tree, on posters and on the 'Holiday Forest Map'. Winners will be announced after 3:00 p.m. December 3
rd
.
Visitors will be able to vote for their favorite tree during Homestead Gardens' regular business hours and on-line at RotaryLightsofKindness.org
It is estimated that 10,000+ people will be walking through our holiday forest during the Holiday rush!
HOW IT WORKS:
1. Your employees (and customers) decorate a fun and creative Holiday tree.
2. Choose a local non-profit you want your tree to raise money for.
3. Your tree is placed in our 'Holiday Forest' at Homestead Gardens and marked on the map.
4. Visitors vote on their favorite tree. Each vote = $1.
5. Every 2 votes = $1 donation to your non-profit's tree and $1 donation to Rotary Club Foundation of South Anne Arundel County.
6. Top 3 winning trees split the Grand Donation Prize for their non-profit.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
We are requesting a $500 donation to get involved, which includes the cost of the tree and will be distributed directly to local non-profits!
$200 - will go directly to the non-profit.
$200 - will go directly to the Rotary Foundation.
$50 - will go towards the cash donation prize for the top 3 winning trees.
$50 - will go towards the cost of the event.
It's time for local businesses, non-profits, schools and families to come together during the holiday season. We would be honored to have your business involved with our event.
QUESTIONS
What does my business need to provide?
1. You must supply all decorations for your tree. All ornaments
must
be shatter proof.
2. An extension cord, preferably green, to run through the tree to power your tree lights.
What kind of lights should we purchase?
It is up to you to decide the color; however, the lights
must
be outdoor certified and you are required to follow all manufacturer guidelines when decorating your tree.
When will we be able to decorate our tree?
If you wish to decorate your tree in your place of business, you may pick-up your tree from Homestead Gardens on December 1
st
or 2
nd
. You are responsible for delivering your decorated tree to Homestead Gardens on Tuesday December 2
nd
. Otherwise, we will have all of the trees available to decorate at Homestead Gardens on December 1
st
and 2
nd
.
How does voting work?
Each voting ticket cost $1.00 and can be purchased at the 'Holiday Forest' at Homestead Gardens from Thursday December 4th - Sunday December 7th. For every 2 votes your tree receives, $1 will be donated to the charity and $1 will be donated to the Rotary Foundation. The Cash Donation Prize will be split among the charities of the three tree with the most votes.
What happens to the tree after the event?
All of the trees must be taken down on Monday December 8
th
or Tuesday December 9
th
. If you wish to donate your tree to a family in need, please let Rotary know prior to the event.
What ideas do you have to make our tree a success?
Employee Excitement -
This event is a great team building and community service project for your staff. Let your staff take ownership by choosing a charity they would like to support and the theme behind your tree. Ask them to get creative with the concept and design. Plus, bring the competition into the picture - everyone loves trying to win!
Customer Excitement -
Let your customers know about your tree. Ask them to visit your tree and vote!
Design a Creative Tree -
Think outside the box - not your normal 'cookie cutter' type Christmas tree. Several ideas are trees with Disney, Military and Candy themed trees. We anticipate these type of trees will receive more votes!
Get Your Charity Involved -
Ask your selected charity to support this event. The more excitement they can create around the event, the larger their donation will be!
What does Rotary provide our business?
We will send your posters, flyers and sample emails to display and/or send to your customers.
How many businesses and charities are participating?
There is limited space for Christmas trees in our Holiday Forest, and each charity can only be represented by one Christmas tree. Once you have notified us of your selected charity and paid your $500 donation, your charity is reserved and unavailable for selection by other businesses.
