FRANKLIN — The Santa Foundation is bringing holiday cheer into the off-season with the return of its community ornament decorating initiative, a creative project that supports the organization’s annual gala while inviting residents to be part of its mission year-round.
Now entering its third year, the ornament initiative began in 2024 when Karla Boudreau joined the board of the Santa Foundation and reflected on past gala gifts. After learning that store-bought ornaments had previously been given to gala guests, Boudreau saw an opportunity to make the gift more meaningful and community-driven.
“What I realized is that community loves being involved,” Boudreau said. “They don’t always get to come in and volunteer, say, in the warehouse and other times of the year, but they love working on crafts. They love sharing their talent and their creativity.”
She proposed inviting local artists, students, and community members to create handmade ornaments that would be given as thank-you gifts at the annual gala.
“I suggested it to the board, and they were like, wow, this is a great idea,” Boudreau said. “And so that’s kind of how the ornament initiative began.”
Each year, nearly 200 handcrafted ornaments are collected. They are carefully packaged in gift boxes with ribbons and placed at each guest’s seat during the foundation’s October gala, which serves as both the organization’s largest fundraiser and the kickoff to the holiday season.
“When I reach out to the community, I let them know that these ornaments that they’re working on are ultimately going to be gifts,” Boudreau explained. “By them painting ornaments for us as an organization, that is, again, freeing up funds for us to put directly into the Santa Foundation organization to support children.”
At the gala, Boudreau shares the story behind the ornaments, highlighting the artists who created them.
“It is something we’re so proud of, incredibly proud of,” she said. “During the evening, I share that with them. I share the story and you’ll start to see people unwrap some of their ornaments and then they’re holding and dangling them out to their friends.”
The artists come from all walks of life — from high school honor art students to members of the Franklin Senior Center, and even supporters from outside Massachusetts who learned about the initiative through family members.
Pam Formosa, co-director of the Santa Foundation, said one of the most meaningful aspects of the project is that no two ornaments are alike.
“Every ornament is different. They’re all unique, every single one of them,” Formosa said. “We put tags on them with the year. So if people come to the gala for more than one year, they’re gonna have annual ornaments that are hopefully on their tree at home that reminds them of how they’ve helped and contributed to their mission that we have.”
Community members interested in participating can reach out via email at [email protected] to receive blank ornaments and supplies. The Santa Foundation is located at 275 Washington Street in Franklin, in a larger warehouse space the organization moved into two years ago to better accommodate community involvement.
Listen to the full interview with Karla and Pam on the MyFM 101.3 Soundcloud page.
