Neuville, Hansen raise money
By James Card
Two local businesses came up with creative fundraising ideas for the Christmas season.
For Neuville Motors, it’s a gingerbread houses contest. At Hansen Furniture, Appliance and Mattress, it’s a Christmas tree beauty pageant.
Melissa Christie at Neuville Motors came up with the gingerbread house idea.
The contest works like this: create an award-winning gingerbread house and drop it off at Neuville Motors where it will be displayed in the lobby. There is no cost to enter and there is a chance to win a Yeti Cooler filled with local beef from Whitetail Valley.
For each entry, Neuville Motors will make a donation to a local children’s charity. For children that enter the contest, they will receive gift cards from Shindig candy store.
Neuville staff will announce a winner on Dec. 21.
“We’re hoping people like it and next year our hope is to do it again. Next year might have more of a theme and have people bring in their gingerbread house to correlate with that theme,” said Christie.
Down the road at Hansen Furniture, Appliance and Mattress is the Festival of Trees. Eight local nonprofits decorated Christmas trees and visitors can “vote” for their favorite Christmas tree by dropping a cash donation in a small tub next to the tree.
“Basically, organizations come in and they decorate the tree. We supply the trees. We take the money out every day and put it in an envelope for them. I’ve seen some pretty generous votes,” said owner Dan Radue.
Participating organizations are Humane Society of Waupaca County, Waupaca Bread Basket, Agape Help Center, Waupaca Area Special Olympics, Waupaca Area Fire District, Creative Caring Hearts, Foundations for Living, and LIVE (a Waupaca High School group that helps adult students with independent living skills).
Hansen furniture was also running a separate fundraiser by auctioning off a GE range stovetop. It is run like a silent auction and bidding ends Dec. 30. The winning bidder will split their “silent donation” equally amongst the eight Festival of Trees organizations.