Castle Country Christmas Tree Regalia Press Release
The 2024 Castle Country Christmas Tree Regalia (CCCTR) was a wonderful success! The CCCTR board members would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to everyone who helps make this annual fundraiser so successful. Because of the generosity of so many, we were able to contribute to three incredible organizations.
$12K to The Helper Express Playground
$12K to Active Re-Entry Perkie Travels Program
$2K to Community Cares Christmas Dinner
The Helper Express Playground – The Helper Express Playground will be an all-abilities playground on Locust Street in Helper. Helper City is planning to remove the old playground equipment in March. The new playground equipment has been ordered and should be arriving in April. The playground equipment company will be installing the main piece of equipment, but volunteers will be needed to install the smaller pieces of equipment. We have raised enough money to pay for the equipment, and we have secured a loan to pay for the ground cover and other expenses. Additional funds will need to be raised to pay for this loan.
Updates will be posted on the Helper Express Playground Facebook page or call Val Marietti at 435-820-8384
Active Re-Entry PERKIE Travels Program – Active Re-Entry is a community-based, 501c3, private, nonprofit, independent living center that provides a wide variety of services to individuals of all ages with disabilities in seven counties in Eastern Utah: Carbon, Emery, Grand, San Juan, Duchesne, Uintah and Daggett Counties. The span of the coverage area is approximately 27,000 square miles. Active Re-Entry has satellite offices in Grand, San Juan, Uintah and Duchesne Counties. The agency’s goal is to ensure that people with disabilities living in Eastern Utah can live as independently and safely as possible within their own homes and communities. The core services offered by Active Re-Entry include advocacy, independent living skills training for youth and adults, information and referral services, nursing home transition and diversion, youth post-secondary life transition and peer support and counseling. Other services include assistive technology, durable medical equipment loan bank, low vision services, scooter training, public awareness, PERKIE Travels (transportation service to Utah County for radiation treatments), music and memory, friendly visitor, youth and adult skill-building classes, and recreation opportunities. Low Vision, Grief, Caregivers, and Active Access support groups are also provided and are open to all community members. Door-to-door transportation is provided to the consumers who attend center classes and activities.
All services and programs provided by Active Re-Entry are free to the consumer. Assistive Technological devices and equipment, funded through the State, are based on a qualifying disability and income level. Some assistive technology devices include but are not limited to scooters, power wheelchairs, ramps to home, ceiling, porch lifts, and more.
Active Re-Entry is committed to assisting individuals with disabilities in achieving or maintaining self-sufficient and productive lives. Our programs are dedicated to promoting rights, dignity and quality of life of all people with disabilities.
Community Cares Christmas Dinner- Community Cares is a nonprofit group that was formed to provide free Christmas dinners to those in need. It focuses on the homeless, elderly, lonely and needy people in our County who will spend Christmas alone. We do not turn anyone away who would like to join us on Christmas. Our goal is to make sure that no one in our area spends Christmas Day alone or hungry. We reach people through advertising, placing flyers in the Senior Angel Tree gifts (this reaches all the Meals on Wheels recipients), and the Christmas lunch packets that go home with the 186 packages Carbon Caring for Kids send home for the Christmas break. The event took place this year on Christmas Day at the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center at USU Eastern from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and included a complete holiday dinner, together with Christmas music and entertainment, cookie decorating and a gift for the children. Families are also given a poinsettia. Transportation is provided if requested. Additionally, we deliver dinners to the homebound throughout Carbon County and in parts of Emery County. This year we delivered 149 dinners and served over 200 guests at the University. Everything is done by volunteers. We raise the funds through the generous contributions of local businesses, philanthropic and religious organizations and donations from members in our community.
Each year CCCTR board members vote on which local organization(s) to contribute to. If you or your organization would like to be considered for this year’s proceeds, please send a letter to: ccctregalia@gmail.com before August 31. Please include the following information:
Name of Your Organization
Contact Person from Your Organization
Email of Your Organization’s Contact Person
Please give a short description of your organization and what the funding would be used for.
How much funding are you requesting?
How long has your organization been in operation?
What is the current annual operational costs for your organization?
Applicants can also fill out their online form at, docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpQDe0_0e8elkYLOvv6rDmQhOkzb6efo28PU9zCPNlIcv7BA/viewform