This year at the Festival of Trees there is a full-sized tree a youth group added to the collection at the Civic Centre.
The group is the College Heights Secondary School Interact Club, sponsored by teacher Cindy Smith and the Yellowhead Rotary Club. The Interact club endeavours often reflect projects supported by Yellowhead Rotary. This year the Rotary club took on literacy, had a book drive and dropped off the donations to senior centres throughout Prince George and collected children's books for Amber House, the Elizabeth Fry Society's 17-bed transition house for women and children at risk in Prince George, which provides safety and security for more than 550 women and children each year.
With the theme literacy in mind, the Interact club entered a festival tree called The Literacy Tree: Gift of Words.
With Emily O'Reilly, last year's Prince George Youth of the Year at the helm of the project, the team started collecting donations from stores, businesses and other Rotary clubs months ago.
The team thought that along with the tree they would create a cozy corner featuring a big comfortable chair, a fireplace, bookshelves, books - of course, gift cards, and a few friends to read to, treats to enjoy while relaxing with a good book, with all the scene setters firmly placed in the Gift Of Words theme.
The youth took it one step further and have committed to continuing their community service throughout the year by pledging to serve more than 700 bowls of cereal at St. Vincent de Paul Society, and host cereal drives to provide for the breakfasts. They will read to seniors on a monthly basis, hold a clothing drive and a book drive as well as leading a project where those students in Grades 5 to 7 right now who are heading to College Heights secondary school can make cards for patients at the hospital. The project started as Pediatric Pen Pals, but now the project has expanded to include patients throughout the entire hospital twice a year.
"This truly is a labour of love and a life lesson that it is important to 'give where you live'," said Smith in a recent news release.
