Photo by Jon Anderson
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Lisa Ripp, the events coordinator for the Grace Klein Community nonprofit puts whipped cream on hot chocolate at the 2021 Ho Ho Hoover fundraiser for the Hoover Helps nonprofit at the Hoover Randle Home & Gardens on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021.
The Hoover Helps nonprofit, which provides food and clothing for needy children, is holding its third Ho Ho Hoover-Randle Open House fundraiser at the Hoover-Randle Home & Gardens on Sunday, Dec. 4.
It’s a come-and-go event from 2 to 5 p.m. that includes holiday-oriented entertainment from choirs and dance groups from Hoover and Spain Park high schools, refreshments, tours of the historic house and Christmas trees decorated by various nonprofit groups and other organizations in ways that highlight the groups’ missions.
Last year, the Hoover High School tree won first place, while the Hoover Fire Department came in second and the Hoover Service Club won third place. The tree from the Hoover Public Library won the People’s Choice award, and the Bluff Park Art Association won for best craftsmanship.
There already are at least 13 groups scheduled to participate in this year’s Christmas tree decoration contest, said Greg Bishop, co-founder of Hoover Helps.
There also will be a silent auction that includes tickets to Birmingham area sporting events, artwork and hard-to-get alcoholic beverages, Bishop said. The auction is online, and winners do not have to be present to win. There is a link to the online auction on the Hoover Helps Facebook page.
Tickets to the event cost $15 and are available at eventbrite.com/e/ho-ho-hoover-randle-tickets-462398756127. Children 12 and younger get in free.
More than 300 people attended last year’s Ho Ho Hoover event, which Bishop said raised about $11,000 for the nonprofit. It’s a great way to become familiar with many of the nonprofit groups in Hoover, Bishop said.
“So many people are eager to help,” he said. “They just don’t know how.”
