Raylene Ferrari, the owner of Upscale Resale, stands next to all the Christmas trees and smaller items auctioned in November 2021. All the proceeds go to Helping Hands for distribution to worthy causes in 2022.
Worthy organizations can share in the money distributed by Helping Hands Story and photos by Shannon Serpette
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aylene Ferrari has combined two of her top talents – helping people and a flair for decorating – to turn Upscale Resale’s annual Christmas tree auction into a big fundraiser that provides money for a number of outstanding programs and organizations in the Illinois Valley. For more than a decade, Ferrari, who owns Upscale Resale in Spring Valley, has turned over all the proceeds from the Christmas tree auction to Helping Hands, a non-profit organi-
zation. Every year, the trees go up for silent auction in November, with the auction concluding the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Initially, the trees used for the silent auction were donated, but now Ferrari buys the trees the day after Christmas for a discounted price. In fact, the steady influx of trees was how the idea for the auction first took root. “We were getting so many Christmas See TREES page 23
A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Woman | December 2021 21
