Ridgewood, N.J., November 2, 2023 – The Junior League of Bergen County (JLBC) is proud to honor our sustaining League member Laura Behrmann at this year’s 36th Annual Festival of Trees, a gala fundraiser featuring a live and online auction. This year’s Festival of Trees will take place on Friday, December 1, 2023 at 7 p.m. at The Ridgewood Country Club.

Members and guests are invited to join the JLBC and enjoy an evening of delicious food, dancing to the music of City Sounds Entertainment and bidding on a dazzling selection of prizes in our live and silent auction. Tickets for this year’s event are $175 each. Tickets can be purchased here, or at the door the night of the event.

Laura Behrmann, this year’s honoree, is a longtime JLBC volunteer and a former president. She is president of the Ramsey Board of Education, a trustee for New Bridge Medical Center’s board and a committee member of Boy Scout Troop 31. And she previously served on the boards of the Lodi Boys & Girls Club and Woodlea Group Home.

Festival of Trees is a critical component in fundraising for the JLBC’s volunteer efforts. Following are just a few of the ways that the JLBC put Festival of Trees funds to work in the 2022-2023 year:

• Provided year-round care, cleanup and plantings for the Center for Hope and Safety’s Pathway to Self-Sufficiency, a garden in Van Saun Park which memorializes victims of domestic violence.
• Launched an ongoing community project called “Empowering Environments.” Through this initiative, the JLBC creates indoor and outdoor spaces for Bergen County community members. In the summer of 2022, we renovated and transformed the Family Welcome room at West Bergen Mental Health in Ramsey.
• Launched the Holiday Wishes program, which provides individually wrapped gifts for over 140 residents of the Brightside Manor senior citizens home.
• Cooked and served multiple meals at the Family Promise Shelter.
• Helped renovate six homes and donated six cleaning supply kits to families in the Old Mine District of Upper Ringwood through Rebuilding Together.

Funds raised at the 36th Annual Festival of Trees will be used to start the JLBC’s next Empowering Environments site (to be announced in Spring 2024), to maintain the Pathway for Self-Sufficiency initiative in Van Saun Park and to help finance projects with Rebuilding Together and other community partners.

Please consider showing your support for The Junior League of Bergen County’s Festival of Trees fundraiser in one of the following ways:

• Become a sponsor
• Donate items or services to the auction
• Bid on an item in our online auction (shipping is available)
• Purchase tickets to the event

If you are interested in donating or sponsoring this year’s Festival of Trees please date a moment to review our Festival of Trees Sponsorship Packet, Festival of Trees Acquisition Letter and Festival of Trees Donation Contract.  All donations are tax deductible.  For more information please contact festival@thejlbc.org.

Not sure what to donate but want to support please check out our amazon wish list for Festival of Trees to make a donation.

The Junior League of Bergen County, founded in 1928, is currently accepting applications for new membership. League Members enjoy leadership training, volunteering, conferences, social programming and networking events. For more information, contact the New Membership committee at membership@thejlbc.org, fill out an application through our website at www.thejlbc.org/join or drop into one of The JLBC’s frequent new member events, which are posted on the group’s website and social media.

Follow the JLBC on social media at https://www.facebook.com/thejlbc and https://www.instagram.com/thejlbc/