Rotary Tree of Remembrance
Pensacola Cordova Rotary, Rotary E-Club of the Southeast USA & Caribbean, and Combined Rotary Clubs of Greater Pensacola are sponsoring a Rotary Tree of Remembrance at Cordova Mall. Beneficiaries include Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart, Gulf Coast Kid’s House, Simon Youth Foundation, ARC Gateway, Rotary’s Camp Florida and Covenant Hospice.
A big hit with holiday shoppers and out of town visitors alike, this annual community giving project invites shoppers to make a donation and place yellow ribbons on the Tree in honor or remembrance of a loved one. The popular tree is on display at the Dillard’s entrance of Cordova Mall, located at 5100 N. 9th Avenue in Pensacola, FL. Nearly $6,000 has been collected at this posting.
Tree of Remembrance Opening Ceremony December 7, 2014
This year, the Rotary Tree of Remembrance project kicked off on Sunday, December 7, 2014, with a special program held in the Cordova Mall in conjunction with Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Special guests included Bill Braddock, Cass Phillips and Frank Edmond, all local World War II Pearl Harbor Survivors of our Greatest Generation.
Other guests included Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward, Pensacola Cordova Rotary President, Dr. Carl Backman, and local Pearl Harbor historians, Billie and Robert Nicholson, authors of Pearl Harbor Honor Flight: One Last Goodbye. Escambia County’s Fire Rescue Color Guard trooped the colors and holiday music was provided by the Sacred Heart Singers
Tree of Remembrance Closing Ceremony December 28, 2014
To conclude this year’s 2nd Annual Rotary Tree of Remembrance project, a non-denominational service was held on Sunday, Dec. 28, at 3 p.m. at the Tree. This year the final figure for donations was $7,001.00. Following the service, checks were presented to the charities.
Rotary members will then gather the ribbons and, during the flag retirement ceremonies on Flag Day, local Boy Scouts will place them on a bed of embers.
As part of the closing ceremony, Dianna Roberts of CBTR, Inc. and Billie and Robert Nicholson of Rusty Buggy Enterprises received Vocational Service Awards for assistance promoting this event.
Rotary Clubs of Pensacola Thank the Community for their Support of the Charities Represented by the 2014 Tree of Remembrance.
[Updated: 1/08/15]