Last Updated on April 10, 2023 6:57 pm
A local woman has been named as one of five recipients of the Christmas SPIRIT Award.
Jennifer Greene, a Watauga County native and Executive Director of the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association, was chosen for the honor by the Christmas Spirit Foundation for her creative and extraordinary support of the Foundation’s Trees for Troops® Program.
Greene was the only recipient chosen this year from the southeastern part of the country.
The Trees for Troops® program has provided a total of 293,392 free Christmas trees to military
members and families, according to Rick Dungey with the Christmas Spirit Foundation.
Fresh cut Christmas trees are gathered together at farms and retail lots and then picked up by the program’s partner FedEx Freight. They then route them through their distribution centers and deliver them to bases selected by each branch of service, Dungey also notes. Once the trees are at the base and unloaded, each base determines how/when to distribute the trees to their personnel.
As the Trees for Troops® program continues to grow since it first started in 2005, the CSF Board of
Trustees recognize that success of the program depends on many people being involved. They support
the program in various ways throughout the year, including sourcing trees to donate, coordinating
volunteer efforts to load/unload trees, raising funds to support the program and/or just creating
awareness.
In 2018, the Trustees formalized their recognition of individuals/companies for superlative support of
the Trees for Troops program, according to Dungey. This honor is represented by the Christmas SPIRIT Award.
“This program’s success depends on many people and organizations getting involved,” said Wendy
Richardson, Foundation Chair. “The SPIRIT Award recognizes, thanks and highlights those who do
amazing things for the program.”
The other 2023 recipients are:
Dick Darling, Darling’s Tree Farm, Clifton Springs, NY
Devin Potter, Marine Corps Community Services, Camp Pendleton, CA
Betsy Perales, Wahmhoff Farms Nursery, Gobles, MI
Sue Greenlaw, Principal, Bethlehem Elementary School, Bethlehem, NH
