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Trees for Troops Coming to Ft. Eisenhower Thursday

The annual Trees for Troops event and Christmas Festival will be held on Barton Field at Fort Eisenhower this Thursday, November 30.  Starting at 4 pm, roughly 300 donated Christmas…

Local Live Christmas Trees

Trees for Troops Coming to Fort Eisenhower Thursday

Photo-Chris O'Kelley

The annual Trees for Troops event and Christmas Festival will be held on Barton Field at Fort Eisenhower this Thursday, November 30.  Starting at 4 pm, roughly 300 donated Christmas trees will be provided to service members and their families.

The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, which sponsors the Trees for Troops event at military installations around the country, provided more than 16,000 live Christmas trees to 84 military installations, including Fort Eisenhower, in the U.S. across 5 branches of service last year.  Trees are donated by individual farms and lots, local sponsoring groups and the customers of participating locations.  Trees for Troops is made possible with the help of hundreds of donors and volunteers.

Who is Eligible to Receive a Free Tree:

  • Junior enlisted (E1-E4) can pick up trees from 4-5 pm
  • All military ID card holders (to include retirees, spouses and dependents) can pick up trees from 5-6 pm, until they run out

A tree lighting ceremony will begin at 5:30 pm and will include holiday carols, and the arrival of Santa Claus for pictures. Festivities will also include a Kris Kringle Vendor Village, a bonfire, holiday themed displays, hayrides, Santa & Mrs. Claus, kid's crafts, sponsor giveaways, and free cookies and cocoa.  The event is made possible by the Fort Eisenhower MWR team and community partners.

How You Can Help the Trees for Troops Program

Trees for Troops relies on donations from the public to keep the program running year after year.  You can support Trees for Troops through a tax-deductible donation or by becoming a sponsor.  You can donate funds online at https://www.christmasspiritfoundation.org/Donate.  The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity.  Thousands of trees are donated by American farm families and the public, and FedEx delivers the trees to military installations in the U.S. and overseas.  FedEx has logged more than one million ground miles for the Trees for Troops program.

Mary Liz is the News Director and Co-Host of Augusta’s Morning News on WGAC. She spent 11 years as a News Director at an Indiana Radio Station. She has also worked as a former Police and Courts Reporter for The Republic Newspaper and Assistant Marketing Director of Merchants National Bank in Indianapolis. Mary Liz focuses most on local breaking news stories, feature stories on upcoming events, or community-service related organizations and the people who serve them. She has been with WGAC since 1995.