It was a big night for the Sweet Home Alumni Foundation as it hosted nearly 250 people Saturday night, Dec. 6, at its 2025 Christmas Trees for Scholarships Auction.
“We were very pleased with everything,” said MarySue Reynolds, a SHAF board member and one of the organizers of the event held at the Boys & Girls Club. She said the attendance was very close to the goal of 250, though an exact count was not available at press time for The New Era.
“We were thankful for those who came last-minute.”
Auctioneer Jeremy Powell, who has done the selling at most of the 22 auctions since 2004, sold 16 trees for a total of $22,750, including two that sold for $3,000 or more out of the 11 that went for $1,000 or more.
The top tree sale was $3,500, for a tree themed “24 Karat Christmas” sponsored by Home Smart “The Wendi Melcher Team” and Fun Forest Inc., and decorated by Wendi Melcher, Heather Search and Brittani Albrecht.
“The trees were amazing,” Reynolds said. “They were beautiful and people were bidding this year. The vibe was good. I felt like people were having a good time.”
The event included a silent auction with more than 100 items.
“I thought we had a good silent auction,” Reynolds said. “We had a nice variety of items and that helps satisfy all different kinds of bidders.”
Dinner was provided by local caterer Angila Tack, along with wine from Moore Family Vineyards and Nessie Bar Co., operated by McKayla Whatley, “a Sweet Home girl,” Reynolds noted.
Cakes for the VIP tables were provided by The Lovin’ Oven of Stayton and others donated by Shari Peterson and Molly Laycock were auctioned off.
Zech Brown won a “heads or tails” fundraiser, getting a cut of half the proceeds from the game that included several dozen people, all of whom paid $10 to play.
Reynolds said that although there were still outstanding bills to pay, she guessed that the event made about $50,000 in profit.
Board Member Greg Ego told the crowd that the endowment was a little over $3 million, interest from which funds scholarships.
The SHAF has awarded just under $1 million in the ## years that the auction as taken place.
He said that SHAF plans to award $120,000 in scholarships this year, a record amount.
