Downtown Gorham will be without an annual tradition this holiday season, as the Gorham High School (GHS) swim team and Gorham Swim Boosters will not be selling fresh-cut Maine Christmas trees due to multiple issues with the supply chain. This greatly impacts essential fundraising efforts of the Gorham Swim Boosters.
The Gorham Swim program must rent the Westbrook Community Center for training. In lieu of the school athletic budget paying, the Swim Boosters cover the costs of pool rental for all practice time for both GHS and Gorham Middle School (GMS) teams, as well as swim meet equipment and GMS coaches’ salaries.
This news comes at a pivotal time for a program that has steadily been gaining popularity in Gorham, enjoying success at both regional and state levels. At the 2020 Class A state championship swim meet the GHS girls’ and boys’ teams placed 5th and 12th, respectively. Even in last year’s COVID-abbreviated season, the GHS team had 26 swimmers, saw four school records fall, and a Booster-sponsored GMS two-week swim clinic brought out over 30 swimmers.
“We have always relied heavily on the sales of Christmas trees as our main fundraiser, and have been so grateful for the community for coming out to support us,” said Cassie Pelletier, President of the Gorham Swim Boosters. “This really threw us for a loop, and we are regrouping and figuring out Plan B. No matter what, we are taking a huge hit this year and are scrambling to make sure both teams’ seasons are not affected. Tree sales historically have helped tremendously with pool rental costs, which are close to $10,000 annually.”
An event organizer familiar with the last several years of tree sales further explained, “The wholesale tree farmer in Aroostook County the Swim Boosters partnered with for the last 6 seasons sold his business to a larger wholesaler. The new owner already had enough orders to fill – so we were left without a supplier. Typically we make our purchase in August each year, but the farm had sold, and the Boosters were not informed until August.”
Upon learning this news, volunteers on the Boosters spent hours calling every tree supplier in New England and were met with the same answer: sold out. According to the Maine Christmas Tree Association, the wholesale market for its members sold out last spring and there is currently a 4-page waiting list for trees.
There are several factors that have reduced the supply of Christmas trees: 1) The global recession in 2008 caused fewer trees to be planted, 2) The extended drought and heat wave conditions over the last few years have also reduced farmers yield, and 3) with more people at home decorating due to COVID-19, there is simply too little supply to meet the high demand.
The Boosters have been meeting weekly to brainstorm and plan other fundraisers, but these will most likely benefit future seasons. “The Swim Boosters Board has been an excellent steward of the fundraising efforts and has savings for emergencies such as this,” explained Booster Treasurer Marci Delaney. “But we are very aware we need to get back out into the community with an annual fundraiser as soon as possible.”
The Boosters, who are a certified non-profit entity, have set up a donation link that will go directly to its pool rental account at Gorham Savings Bank, and are looking into options to continue tree sales in 2022. For those who would like to donate, click here.
“Our annual Christmas tree sale fundraiser was more than just a means of supporting our program, it was a wonderful opportunity for our team to reach out to the community. The student-athletes, parents and coaches alike took pride in being part of many families’ holiday traditions while sharing the incredible growth of our program with the community,” noted Head Coach Will York. “We hope that our next fundraising event will share the same opportunities to not only support our fantastic program but to share with the community the success of our incredible swimmers.”