On Saturday, Dec. 5, the 56th annual Brattleboro Rotary Club Christmas Tree Fundraiser will officially begin.
 
Since 1965, the Brattleboro Rotary Club has sold Christmas trees as a fundraiser for local student scholarships and this year is no different. Vermont-grown trees of all shapes and sizes will be sold daily in front of the Brattleboro Bowl on Putney Road until Dec. 13.
 
The trees will be on sale from noon to 6 PM on weekdays and from 9 AM to 6 PM on weekends.
 
“Like last year, we are shortening the days of the sales so that our members will be better able to provide coverage over the weekend and weekdays,” said Immediate Past President Carla Lineback.
 
Lineback added, “We are hoping that the Christmas spirit will help us again sell the 350 trees and provide scholarships to area students.”
 
The Brattleboro Rotary Club, founded in 1950, is an active community service club of 60 members who engage in community and human service projects both locally and internationally.
 
The Brattleboro Rotary Club’s Gateway Foundation was established in 1986 to create a local fund to support scholarships awarded annually to Brattleboro-area students pursuing college.
 
The Gateway Foundation, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, is funded by annual Rotary fundraising projects and generous contributions from Rotarians and other community members.
 
Proceeds from the Christmas Tree Sale support the club’s annual student scholarship awards of $2,000 to $3,000 each. To date, the club has awarded close to $500,000 in scholarships.