Holiday celebrations at Springfield Masonic Community took on a new form this year. In addition to the normal festivities, they hosted a new event, Festival of Wreaths. With the support and guidance of The Ohio Masonic Communities Foundation, a group of residents got together and formed a SPRIG group. Together, their goal is to raise money that will be used for improvements around their campus and resident activities throughout the year.
The Festival of Wreaths was their inaugural event and it was a huge success. The event was held November 18-19, but residents spent weeks finding sponsors, gathering supplies, decorating wreaths, and planning the details for the weekend of the event. The SPRIG group ended up having 50 wreaths that were sold during a silent auction at the event. Some of the wreaths were decorated and donated by sponsors while others were donated by a sponsor and decorated by residents. All the residents involved enjoyed decorating the wreaths, attending a special reception the night before the festival formally kicked off, attending the events and activities throughout the weekend, and seeing the fruits of their labor as the event came to life.
Throughout the weekend, the entire community was invited to attend breakfast with Santa, enjoy festive treats, view the decorated wreaths, purchase handmade items created by residents, and place bids on their favorite wreaths in the silent auction. It was a weekend full of festive fun to kick off the 2023 holiday season.
In January 2024, a check presentation was held at Springfield Masonic Community. Residents involved in the SPRIG group presented a check to The Ohio Masonic Communities Foundation. The check represented the proceeds from the Festival of Wreaths. The event raised $9,283 for the foundation to invest in their campus. Residents are excited not only for what they will be able to do with those funds, but also to have more fundraising efforts throughout the year and make their Festival of Wreaths in 2024 even bigger and better.
