Another marvelous Season of Giving ~ brought to you by a loving community who rallied to provide dozens of gifts, all shapes and sizes to over 22 adults and children.  Below are just a few highlights of the wrapping, delivering, and celebration of an outstanding Holiday Event for Tony’s Treehouse.   Much gratitude to our donors who contributed time, energy and funds.  A special Shout Out to Shaena Stabler and Team StuNewsLaguna, who continue to publish articles supporting local charities, raising awareness and Spreading the Love!  MANY THANKS TO ALL who participated this year!

Sue, Carmen and Becky on Delivery Day

Roger Tomalas Family, Becky, Sue, Carmen at SOS Gift Delivery site

Kate Hanson of Trippy Hippy, donating NEON shoes to the Program

“Master Wrapper” Sue

Sue, Carmen & Diggity Dog ready to give away a new bike

Wrap Night

Dozens of NEON shoes ready to wrap up

Tomalas Law Firm : Roger & Lynn with Ryan & Amy Tomalas

Miles of Smiles Chrismas Day

Liz playing Santa

Lovin the NEON shoes

Anna & Dale Mudd, Elianna, Becky and Danny Martinez

Lynn and Roger Tomalas

Paula Arnold, Becky and Sara Hornbuckle

Becky and Carmen Arguello

Jorge Bendeck Allstate Insurance team

Linda & Tom Hendren, Liz Courselle, Becky

We If you wish to donate online, any size gift, prior to Dec 23, will help supply Holiday presents for one of our deserving families.     Thank you!

Volunteers just delivered new mattresses and a bunk bed for RJ and his little brother – these are two happy little boys.  Thanks to the app called “Next Door”, our nearby neighbors answered the call when we reached out, asking for some basic furnishings and home supplies.  This beautiful family of 5 transitioned from sharing one bedroom in a house, to getting their own 2 bedroom, 2 story apartment in Lomita.  Much gratitude to ALL who donated.    We look forward to the upcoming Adopt A Family Holiday Program…… reach out to us if you’d like to participate.

Sue and RJ

Every square inch of the delivery van was PACKED!

RJ and Becky

Read the news article published June 2014::  Laguna News article. Keystone Club.2014

Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach, Keystone Club

Our first year in this very beautiful venue…. specacular!!  With over 35 Raffle and Auction items our guests went away with some fabulous prize.  Many members of the community were in attendance along with our core faithful group that has been there over the last 10 years.  Our special speakers were Paul Leon, Steve Edmondson and an 18 year old young man named AJ who, along with his mom, have recently graduated from the Illumination Foundation organization.  They were living in their car for many months prior to becoming involved in the Illumination Foundation – one of the charity groups supported by the Treehouse.   AJ and mom were able to obtain temporary housing through “IF”, work and save enough money to move into their own home.  AJ is now the Student Body President of this local high school.

The benefactors of our fundraising are as follows… “Tony’s Scholarship Fund” of the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna.  You can read more about that in the ‘Boy’s and Girls Club’ recent posting.   The Treehouse will also be supporting the Laguna Resource Center and Illumination Foundation annual Adopt A Family Event during the upcoming holidays.  Please enjoy our pictures!

The Treehouse volunteers wanted to make a gift for each of the Benefit Event guests to take home – to remember this special fundraiser and the reason behind it.   Starting with 150 bare pieces of 2×4 we proceeded to sand, stain and decorate these plain pieces of wood and came up with amazing creations:

Special thanks to Anthony VanMeter, Tom Ely, Ana Nevarez, Ria Wilson, Jamie DeLuna, Sue Bottassi, Sharon Irvin, and Leah Haley for all their hard work and dedictation to finish this project!

Our annual dinner was spectacular as always with many surprise Silent Auction and Raffle Donations – many coming from the art community of Laguna Beach.  Photos will follow. Thank you to  Sammy Montoya who generously opens his heart and restaurant to our group every year… check out his website if you’re interested in having a catored event or to reserve his event facility in Santa Ana. http://lachiquitamexicanfood.com/public/index/index

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A very unconventional holiday party….

The 34 + Adopt families received gifts from Santa around a large wildly decorated oak tree, ate hamburgers, hot dogs & homemade baked beans with tater salad for lunch.  See the smiles for yourself:

Many families came to volunteers and simply stated, ‘If not for you, our kids would not have had presents this year – you ‘gave’ us Christmas’.  Thank you to each volunteer who made it happen.

There were over 120 gifts to wrap for the families of our Adopt A Family Program’s upcoming party.  We packed in 18 volunteers to power-house it!  All gifts were wrapped and ready to deliver to the December 21 Holiday party at the Costa Mesa Motor Inn.  Thanks again to all who helped. Also to  Andrea Adelson at the Laguna Beach Independent newspaper for publishing our event and giving the Treehouse great exposure to the community. 

http://www.lagunabeachindependent.com/news/2008/1226/town_crier/027.html

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Every year our Benefit Dinner is a reunion for our special group of friends, family and community who come to re-unite and celebrate life lived and life remembered.

So many came up to me after the dinner to tell me how much they look forward to this event… every year.

Thank you Thank you for the over 40 supporters who attended our 8th Annual Benefit Dinner!! Adults and kids alike walked out with one (or more!) of our Raffle Baskets and Silent Auction prizes. Our High Rolling – Raffle Ticket pulling friends pushed our donations over the $1500 mark, which for our little grass-roots organization is LARGE !!

Owner of La Chiquita, Sammy Montoya, and family, served up his always enchanting enchilada plates that we just can’t get enough of… and master bartender Jim LoSasso whipped up his righteous Margaritas to kick off our festivities.

Tony loved a party.  The more the merrier, strangers welcome, friends expected and surprise guests just brought more to love.  Our group on May 18 brought each of those, in support of the Treehouse which continues to pursue current projects along with new endeavors.  More about the new ventures to follow….

Thanks for everything, especially your friendship,

Becky

[singlepic=56,320,240,,] Owner of La Chiquita Restaurant of Santa Ana, Sammy Montoya (and family) awarded a plaque in appreciation for his continued support of Tony’s Treehouse and being the host of our annual Benefit Dinner.