More than 20 holiday trees at Gardner White’s Novi store are competing for a $10,000 charitable prize, with community members able to vote for their favorite online through Dec. 8. The designer of the winning tree chooses the charity that receives the prize, according to ClickOnDetroit.
The vote is the fundraiser’s central mechanism: local celebrities, broadcasters, businesses and influencers decorated the entries, and the public’s choice determines which designer gets the donation to direct. The trees were unveiled at Twinkle Town, Gardner White’s free holiday gathering at its Novi store, which included a tree lighting, entertainment and a visit from Santa, the station reported.
A separate precedent in Warren
The Novi event follows an earlier version of the retailer’s Parade of Trees, but the locations and editions should not be conflated. Gardner White’s announcement for its 2024 third annual Twinkle Town described 20 trees at its flagship store in Warren, decorated by local celebrities, businesses and influencers to benefit local charities. That announcement documents a prior format, not the recipients or outcome of this year’s Novi competition.
Gardner White’s charitable-partnerships page lists the American Cancer Society among its partners, but it does not say that the organization is connected to this year’s tree contest. The current event coverage identifies the prize recipient as the charity selected by the winning designer; it does not name that charity before the vote concludes.
Twinkle Town’s fifth annual celebration took place at the retailer’s Novi Road store. The voting period runs from Nov. 10 through Dec. 8, giving residents a say in where the $10,000 prize goes without establishing that the current edition shares the past Warren event’s participants or beneficiaries.
