Operation Christmas tree is a go
Emma Mitchell, a 12 year-old Upper Arlington girl, believes in a simple message: that everyone who wants a Christmas tree should have one. So she started Operation Christmas Tree, which gives people donated Christmas trees. Now in its second year, Emma got the idea from her grandfather, Ted Freshwater who started giving away trees 26 years ago (and has given away more than 15,000). Emma had helped her grandfather, who lives in North Caroline, a few years ago and wanted to bring the idea to Columbus.
Oakland Nursery and Strader’s Garden Center donated trees to her cause and along with family and friends from church, Emma has given about 70 families trees over the past two years. This year, they were also able to give people boxes of ornaments and a doughnut or bagel and coffee and expanded tree pickup locations to two community centers (St. Stephens Community House and Barack Community Recreation Center). Their main base was the parking lot next to Broad St. United Methodist Church.
Emma said, “It was very eye-opening to see the way you could kind of see their mood change, how much happier they looked after they got their tree.”
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
