Hello All!
Here is the information I received from LTC Margaret Richardson of Madigan 
Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis, Washington:
===snip===
11 July 1997
Dear Anne:
To help raise funds for the children served by Mary Bridge
Children's Hospital, I will be designing and decorating one of
over 60 evergreen trees to be auctioned at the 11th annual
Festival of Trees Gala on 5 December 1997.  The Festival theme
this year is the "Heart of the Holidays" and the theme of my
tree is Victorian, which will be brought to life with a
collection of ecru crochet hearts, clear acrylic hearts with
natural color potpourri, clear acrylic balls with antique gold,
mauve and coppered colored ribbon, gold angels, tassels with
cinnabar and carved bone beads, and of course your very special
contribution of hand-made ornaments for the tree.
Many local businesses and individuals will also donate gifts
which will be included under the tree.  Some of the gifts will
include a porcelain doll, gift certificates to local merchants,
real and reproduction Victorian photographs in frames, possibly
a wreath, and a fancy tree skirt or small quilt (crazy
patchwork) if I have time.
My goal is an eclectic, antique look, and I can't do it alone.
What I have in mind is ornaments that have been done in various
types of needlework -- ribbon embroidery, needlepoint, counted
cross-stitch, regular embroidery, bead work or crazy patchwork.
Colors to consider are off white to beige, black, eggplant,
burgundy, hunter green, mauve, antique gold, grayed down blue,
pink, or green.  Colors should suggest the Victorian era or
"old and faded".  You may have patterns you want to use -- that
is fine.
I have enclosed some possible ornament shapes to consider --
these would basically be stuffed shapes.  Or little drawstring
pouches would be fine.  If you want to make something to cover
a styrofoam ball, you'll have to figure out the dimensions for
that -- a 3 or 3 1/2 inch ball would be about right.
Don't feel locked in to any of my suggestions except for the
color schemes.  Ornament designs can be medieval/renaissance,
Victorian, or oriental in character/style.  Also, if there is a
story that goes along with your ornament, the Festival folks
just love it!  A story also helps "sell" the tree.  In fact,
this could be the first "internet/bbs" enhanced Christmas tree
in the Festival's history.
Example:  this is an ornament made of scraps from my aunt
Minnie's wardrobe who migrated to California during the gold
rush, etc.
If things work out according to plan, I hope to send everyone
who helped out on this project a photo of the completed tree.
Now in it's 11th year, the Festival of Trees has been proven to
be our community's most successful holiday event, netting
$380,000 last year and contributing almost 2 million dollars to
Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in the last decade.  Moneys
raised from the even will benefit the hospital which has the
only Level II Pediatric Trauma Center in the state of
Washington and will benefit the Emergency Department, the
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and the Pediatric Transport
Team.
Your exchange participants ornaments and gifts, when combined
with the other items I have donated personally and collected
from other supporters will bring together this terrific holiday
package.  I have enclosed several Friends of the Festival
donation forms, along with self addressed envelopes for your
use.  In many cases the item your participants donate are tax
deductible -- they should check with their tax preparer.
Filling out the Festival paperwork is important to keep
accurate records of the transaction.  Make sure your exchange
participants fill out the paperwork and get it back to you.
If your exchange participants wish to make a monetary
contribution to the hospital, they need to make the check out
to Mary Bridge Children's Foundation, fill out a separate form,
and mail it directly to the hospital.  The Festival should mail
the individual donors an acknowledgement of the receipt of
their gift along with some Festival general admission tickets.
Donors are listed in the Festival auction catalog.
If you have any further questions, contact me at
crimson5@juno.com or the Festival of Trees office, (253)
552-1368.  Don't forget, this is Pacific Time!
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely
/s/
LTC Margaret Richardson
Madigan Army Medical Center
Fort Lewis, Washington
===snip===
Let's Get Stitchin'!
Anne McReary
mcreary@oz.net
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