A young boy ran across the Kiwanis tree lot straight for his mother. He pointed, candy cane in hand, at a 6-foot-tall Douglas fir.
“Mama, I want that one or that one — or that one,” Bobby Schill said to his mother, Annie Schill of Muncie, pointing at several trees in the lot.
For many families, it has become a tradition to visit the Muncie Kiwanis tree lot on the corner of Wysor and High streets to purchase a Christmas tree.
Schill has integrated the lot into her family’s yearly Christmas rituals.
“My husband and I get to watch our children point towards the perfect Christmas tree again and again,” she said.
Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, the lot sells Douglas firs, Fraser firs, Scotch pines and White pines to raise money for local youth organizations.
David Smith, of Muncie, has bought his tree at the lot for the past several years.
“I come every year because I support the work they are doing for the kids,” Smith said.
Henry Miller, co-chairman of the Muncie Kiwanis chapter, has kept the tradition of the more than 60-year-old sale alive along with other members of the community.
“My favorite thing has to be when I get to see repeat customers,” Miller said. “I love greeting the kids with a candy cane, and then watching them enjoy picking out their family Christmas tree.”
This year, the organization ordered 603 trees. Once shipped to the lot, the trees get placed to be ready for purchase. At end of a day of sales, the trees are stored at the lot for the next day.
Miller said he supports the fundraiser in more ways than one. He not only works at the lot, but also purchases his tree from there.
This year, the members of Kiwanis said they hope to raise more than $10,000.
“Although we do other fundraisers throughout the year, this is our biggest,” Miller said.
This year, a large portion of the proceeds will go to Riley Children’s Hospital to fund research for cures and care for children with illnesses.
The Indiana District of Kiwanis, organized Dec. 27, 1918, has created an initiative for all the local chapters to help raise more than $1 million for Riley Children’s Hospital by the end of 2013. In the past, proceeds have gone to numerous other organizations, including the Muncie Boys and Girls Club, YMCA/YWCA, A Better Way and local scholarship programs.
Kiwanis International’s Mission Statement says that “Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.” The local club tries to achieve this through volunteer work with fundraisers. Some members of the club will volunteer for as many as 100 hours or more to help kids, Miller said.
“We are working really hard out here to make sure families get the perfect Christmas tree ... But there’s nothing better than helping kids,” he said.
