Raising funds to help our community (and others!)

Altrusa of Montrose is pleased to host our annual Holiday Festival & Gifts fundraising event again this year. We've just finished setting up the numerous decorated trees, wreaths, gift baskets, gift certificates, and several special items for the silent auction. The public is invited to view and bid on the items all this coming week (Monday, 11/17 through Friday, 11/21) in the lobby of Wells Fargo in downtown Montrose.

On Friday evening from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. we'll hold a festive party with catered appetizers and desserts, wine, beer, and other beverages. Bidding on the auction items will close at 8:15 p.m. Tickets to the festival party are on sale for $20 at Fabula (downtown) and will also be available at the door the night of the event.







New this year:
Be sure to check out the gorgeous Altrusa Literacy Tree just inside the front entrance to the bank. The tree is decorated with children's books and delightful ornaments, including notes from people remembering their favorite books from their own childhood. This tree is not for sale. Instead, it will be donated to the Children's section of our own Montrose Library to promote next summer's reading program. Young participants will have the opportunity to earn rewards of books directly from the tree.

We hope you'll support Altrusa's many literacy projects with a donation to our Literacy Committee. Learn more about this key committee is up to this year, and help us continue to enhance literacy in our community. A donation box has been placed by the Altrusa Literacy Tree for this purpose.

See you on November 21st!

2014 Holiday Festival & Gifts set for 11/21

Altrusa of Montrose CO presents our 12th Annual Holiday Festival & Gifts. We hope you'll join us for this popular fundraiser featuring delicious catered appetizers, wine, beer & punch, and a delightful assortment of gift baskets, centerpieces, wreaths, and holiday trees in our huge silent auction.

Tickets are $20 per person, and are available from any Altrusa member, or at Fabula. Call Allison at 765-7666 for more information. 

Monies raised will go toward our many projects related to literacy, the environment, health, scholarships, and more. Browse through this site to learn more about our community service.

Tonight's the Night - Holiday Festival & Gifts

Whether you are looking for a gift for the holidays, a future birthday or anniversary present, or a treat for yourself -- or simply want to have a fun evening while supporting our local Montrose community -- the annual Altrusa Holiday Festival is the place to be. Come by Wells Fargo downtown from 6:30 - 8:30 this evening and enjoy marvelous catered appetizers, beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages. Bid on over 50 gift baskets of all sorts, decorated trees and wreaths, centerpieces, and several unique craft items.

We're also bringing back our popular "Holiday Game" from last year. Purchase a beautiful compact and you'll have a chance to win a Kindle Fire, a deluxe gift basket, or a spectacular decorated tree. Your $20 donation at the door admits you to this great event -- a Montrose tradition.

Browse this website to learn more about all the ways Altrusa of Montrose helps our community. Funds raised tonight help make it all happen. We hope to see you there.

P.S. Want to help Altrusa Foundation but can't attend tonight's function? We accept donations at any time. Please make your check payable to "Altrusa Foundation" and mail to P.O. Box 3184, Montrose CO 81402
We appreciate your support!

10th Annual Holiday Festival & Gifts

Leaves are turning and the nights are becoming crisp...so it must be time to think about Altrusa's annual fundraiser, our Holiday Festival!

Each year, just before Thanksgiving, we kick off the holiday season with a festive gathering. Be sure to stop by Wells Fargo Bank downtown to view and bid on the many silent auction items, including decorated trees, centerpieces, wreaths, and especially the large selection of gift baskets for all occasions (including a treat for yourself).

The week wraps up with the party on Friday, November 16 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Once again, we'll enjoy a delicious selection of catered appetizers, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages, and we'll wrap up the silent auction that evening. Plus, there will be a special Holiday Game that evening, with a chance to win a spectacular, custom-decorated 8' tree, a new Kindle Fire, or a lovely Gift Basket.

Tickets are available in advance for $20. Please contact any Altrusa member, or email us at altrusa.montrose@gmail.com to purchase tickets for yourself, family members, and friends (Over 21 only, please).

(Click on the image to view a larger version)

Decorator Sign-up Sheet (Word DOC)

Event Postcards (4 per page) (PDF)

Event Flyer (PDF)

Altrusa's annual Holiday Festival & Gifts coming November 18, 2011

This fundraising evening includes delicious "heavy" appetizers & desserts catered by Sweet Bites, wines from Corks Fine Wines, beers from Horsefly Brewery, and a marvelous assortment of decorated trees, wreaths, centerpieces, and a plethora of gift baskets for all occasions.

The decorated items will be on display in the lobby of Wells Fargo Bank all week leading up to this finale event. Stop by to view them and to place a bid in the silent auction. Bidding will close during the Friday evening event.

$20 suggested donation per person at the door (over 21 only, please) goes to our 501(c)3 Altrusa Club of Montrose CO Foundation. Altrusa of Montrose invests the funds raised to provide scholarships to local students, install & maintain Lifeline emergency notification units to seniors, support numerous literacy projects for all ages, provide Love Hug Bears for child patients at MMH, provide school supplies to local students, provide volunteers and award grants for numerous community non-profit projects, and much more.

New this year: trees are also available for viewing & bidding at Alpine Bank (E. Main), Bank of the West (E. Main), Timberline Bank, Vectra Bank, and at Montrose Memorial Hospital. These silent auctions will be open during business hours from Monday, 11/14 through Thursday, 11/17, and bidding will close that Thursday afternoon on these trees.

Come join us for a fun evening!

When: Friday, November 18, 2011, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Where: Wells Fargo Bank, downtown Montrose

Over 100 spectacular items at Silent Auction

Be sure to stop by the lobby of Wells Fargo downtown during the week of November 15, 2010 to view and bid on incredible decorated trees, wreaths, centerpieces, and gift baskets. Altrusa's annual Holiday Festival & Gifts event culminates with a festive party on Friday, November 19 from 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. at the bank.  A donation of $10 at the door admits each adult (must be over 21) to a fun evening of food, beer from Horsefly Brewery, wine from Corks Fine Wines & Spirits, non-alcoholic beverages, and the excitement of the final night of the silent auction. 

The trees come in a wide range of themes, including traditional, Harley Davidson, John Deere, Western, Wines, 2 Nights of Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, and much more, with colors and designs to suit a wide variety of decors. Some have matching wreaths and/or centerpieces.  And the centerpieces are just as varied as the trees -- some with a Christmas theme, others suitable for many occasions.

Need a special gift? Over 25 gift baskets were donated by Altrusa members and local businesses, such as Ray's Good Stuff (the jerky store), Merle Norman Cosmetics, Great Harvest Bakery, and Colorado Boy Brewery. There are great gifts for a baby shower, birthdays, anniversaries, and, of course, Christmas. The truth is, many of the gift baskets are so appealing that people bid on them to keep for themselves!

We hope you'll join us at the party Friday evening, or at least stop in to the bank during the week to bid on some of these marvelous items. Remember: all proceeds go to our local Altrusa Foundation -- a 501(c)3 non-profit -- to support the many projects, scholarships, and local grants described on this website.

2010 Holiday Festival coming soon

Here in Montrose, it has become a tradition to kick off the holiday season by attending Altrusa's Holiday Festival on the Friday night before Thanksgiving.

Everyone (age 21 or older) is invited to join us at Wells Fargo Bank downtown on Friday, November 19 from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. for appetizers, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages, and to explore a spectacular assortment of decorated trees and wreaths, beautiful centerpieces and gift baskets (for yourself, or to give to others) suitable for a variety of occasions, and other delights. The admission fee of $10 per person is a donation to Altrusa of Montrose Foundation.

All of the holiday items are part of a Silent Auction to benefit Altrusa. The items will be on display in the lobby of Wells Fargo during their normal business hours beginning Monday, November 15, and anyone may bid on the items during the week.

If you are unable to attend the Holiday Festival gathering on November 19, but wish to support Altrusa's numerous service projects, scholarships, and community grants, you can donate using the DONATE button in the left column of this website. You can also mail a check to Altrusa Foundation at the P.O. box shown in the upper left corner of this site. Altrusa is a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation.

2010 Holiday Festival Poster

2009 Holiday Festival raises needed funds

After hundreds of hours of planning, organizing, decorating, cooking, and more, Altrusa members can sit back and relax (briefly!) knowing that another Holiday Festival & Gifts fundraising event is complete.  Preliminary figures show net revenues of just over $13,000 raised by this event. This amount is slightly less than half of our fundraising goal for the year; our Spring Luncheon is our other major fundraiser each year.

With the funds raised, along with funding from our Foundation's reserves, Altrusa of Montrose hopes to provide services, grants, and scholarships totaling over $41,000, primarily to our local community. Since our fiscal year began in June 2009, Altrusa has already funded additional units for Lifeline (helping seniors live safely in their own homes), purchased stuffed toys (Love Hug Bears given to children having surgery or emergency care at  MMH), helped fund the expansion of Christ's Kitchen (helping to feed members of our community), and provided grants to organizations such as Bosom Buddies, Dreamcatcher Therapy, Hospice, Montrose Community Dinners (Thanksgiving dinner), San Juan Health Care, and Youth Appreciation Day.

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If you missed this fundraiser, or simply would like to help Altrusa fund scholarships and projects such as the ones mentioned above, please consider making a donation to Altrusa Club of Montrose CO Foundation -- a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.  To make it easy, you can use the SECURE Donate button above to donate $25.00, or any other amount you care to give.

Altrusa is very grateful to all the organizations, businesses, and individuals whose generous donations and contributions made this fundraiser successful.  Montrose is a wonderful community, and our Montrose Club is proud of what we've been able to give back to our neighbors and our region.

2009 Holiday Festival coming soon

Altrusa's annual fundraising event, the Holiday Festival & Gifts event, will be held on Friday, November 20, 2009 at Wells Fargo Bank downtown from 6:15 - 8:15 pm. This year, a $10 per person donation at the door includes an extensive appetizer selection, desserts, beverages (including wine and beer), and a souvenir wine or beer glass to take home.

A wide assortment of decorated trees, wreaths, centerpieces, and a variety of gift baskets suitable for all occasions will be on display in the lobby of the bank starting Monday, November 16 from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm daily.  Everyone in our community is encouraged to stop by the bank to view and bid on these silent auction items. The silent auction will end on Friday, November 20 at the conclusion of the evening event.

Altrusa Club of Montrose CO Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation, relies on funds raised at this event to enable the club to fund local area scholarships and grants for other charitable organizations, as well as our numerous other service projects. These include Lifeline (with over 100 units in local homes), Love Hug Bears (stuffed animals for children at MMH), Buddy Bags (tote bags filled with books and items for children), Tender Touch Turbans (for cancer patients), Pennies for Peace (raising funds to build schools in remote villages in the Himalaya), Kids on Wheels (promoting bike usage & safety), and many more projects.

The flyer for the 2009 Festival can be downloaded here (1.2 MB PDF)

Christy Biella demonstrates the art of holiday decorating

At our September 30 meeting, Christy Biella demonstrated decorating techniques to appreciative Altrusa Club members in preparation for our annual Holiday Festival & Gifts fundraiser.  Christy, whose background includes  graphic design and floral design, created a beautiful wreath, candle centerpiece, and tall centerpiece right before our eyes.

This year's Festival will be held on Friday, November 20, 2009 starting at 6:15 PM at Wells Fargo Bank downtown. Businesses and individuals may "sponsor" a wreath, centerpiece, or tree with a donation to Altrusa International Foundation of Montrose, a 501(c)3 organization. For more information on sponsorships, please contact Dena at 249-4702.

Members of the community are invited to attend the Festival, enjoy food and beverages, and bid on decorations and gifts during a silent auction.  Admission to the event is a donation of $10 at the door, and attendees will receive a wine or beer glass to use during the event and to keep as a memento.  All proceeds benefit Altrusa International Foundation of Montrose, and enable us to provide our many community services, scholarships, and grants.

Holiday Festival raises needed funds

The 2008 Holiday Festival & Gifts fundraising event was enjoyed by many people in our community, and was a big success in raising funds for scholarships, grants, and a multitude of service projects provided by Altrusa of Montrose.




Members of Altrusa as well as numerous companies, organizations, and other individuals pitched in to sponsor, donate and decorate trees, wreaths, centerpieces, gift baskets, and garlands.


As in past years, Christy Biella hosted a decorating party at her house, where she helped others with their decorations while also creating numerous silent auction items herself. Holiday Festival committee chair Bobbi Brown worked innumerable hours, as did the committee members, to bring together a successful event.

Preparing for the Holiday Festival

Lorie Bollig and Judy Snedeker, along with other members of the Holiday Festival committee, gave Altrusans a preview of some of the wreaths, garlands, and other holiday decorations which will be part of the silent auction fundraiser this year on November 16.

The committee reported on sponsorships already received and those still needed, and passed around a sign-up sheet for volunteers to help with various tasks during and after the event, including bringing hors d'oevres, doing clean-up, handling the sale of commemorative glasses, and greeting people as they arrive.

Remember to come help with setup on Saturday, November 10 at 1:30 PM at Wells Fargo Bank downtown.