One local woman is turning a holiday pastime with her father into an annual fundraiser to benefit those living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Gail Whitney, the co-owner of Puddleford Tree Farm in Kent Bridge, began painting wooden discs to turn them into holiday ornaments with her father, Gerald, in early 2020. The seasonal pastime began after she noticed her father’s memory had begun to fade and that simple tasks had become difficult.
“It gave him a feeling of accomplishment and purpose,” Whitney says. “It brightened his day.”
Following her father’s passing last year, Whitney decided to sell the holiday crafts in memory of her father, with a part of the proceeds going to support the Alzheimer Society of Chatham-Kent.
Whitney has now turned the fundraiser into an annual event and plans to sell a new batch of 200 wooden disc ornaments at Puddleford Tree Farm for $5 each. The discs have been painted by day program clients at the Alzheimer Society who found the same sense of accomplishment as Whitney’s father.
The ornaments will go on sale starting on Saturday.
For more information about these handmade ornaments, call Puddleford Tree Farm at 519-365-0755 or email puddlefordtreefarm@gmail.com.
