Local Fundraiser Spreads the Wealth

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

Raylene 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 organization. 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

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This elf tree that was up for auction this year at Upscale Resale likely delighted all the children who saw it.

Trees

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trees donated, we started putting decorations on them,” she said.

That sparked interest from the customers, who loved the trees so much they wanted to buy them outright. During some of the more prosperous years, the auction will bring in approximately $5,000, although Ferrari said the proceeds generally fluctuate between $3,000 to $5,000. The highest bidding price for a single tree that Ferrari recalls is $400.

These trees are the gifts that keep giving. Year after year, they’ll be enjoyed by the people who have the highest bid for each one, and the money that’s collected from the auction will be distributed by Helping Hands to good causes throughout the Illinois Valley. The tree auction, when combined with other Upscale Resale sales throughout the year, led to well in excess of $30,000 being distributed by Helping Hands just last year alone.

Although the auction is over for this year, there’s still time to put in a request for some of the Helping Hands money that will soon be distributed to lucky organizations throughout the Illinois Valley.

Through the end of December, Helping Hands, which is governed by a board of directors, will be accepting letters requesting money donations for organizations or good causes. To be considered for funds, any interested organizations must send their requests in the mail to 214 W. St. Paul St., Spring Valley, by Dec. 31.

“We’ve helped food pantries, Cops 4 Cancer, libraries, and more,” Ferrari said. “It’s all about the community making a difference.”

With so much money to distribute, the board of Helping Hands likes to get a lot of requests, but that doesn’t always happen.

“Sometimes, we only get a few letters,” Ferrari said.

Hall Township Food Pantry director Jan Martin said the food pantry has received money from Helping Hands several times.

“When we get money from Raylene, we’re able to choose what we need with that money,” Martin said.

While food donations are wonderful, they can lead to surpluses in some foods, like canned vegetables, and scarcity in other areas like paper products, such as toilet paper and paper plates.

“A lot of my clients don’t have dishes,” Martin said.

Martin said that Ferrari and Helping Hands have made a difference locally.

“She makes sure she does something special for our people. She’s so generous,” Martin said.

This Cranberry Frost tree was auctioned in November.