The Blessing Tree

Gilda’s Club of the Quad Cities partnered with Ascentra Credit Union, the Downtown Bettendorf Organization and the City of Bettendorf to bring its Blessing Tree to Be the Light Park this year. The Blessing Tree has been a long-standing tradition in the Quad Cities for 25 years and is a visual embodiment of hope to families and individuals in the community living with cancer or to remember those who are no longer with us.

During the evening of Dec. 5th, over 100 people gathered at the park to watch the annual lighting of the tree and to celebrate their loved ones as the Gilda’s Club honored nearly 400 names. The 32-foot-tall tree includes many sponsored lights, bows and ornaments that are in memory of, in celebration of, or in gratitude for a special person in someone’s life.

“This park is a place to remember, to honor and to feel the joy brought to us by our loved ones,” said Linda Andry, President and CEO, Ascentra Credit Union, during her speech. “It’s a place to gain strength and it is a place to just be still and count the blessings in our lives.”