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Joy Trees bring a sense of holiday cheer to Kentucky children

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CASA of Lexington is going through some central Kentucky counties to light up their Christmas trees. Known as ‘Joy Trees,’ the group hopes to help provide much-needed joy to children going through difficult times.

The group works with abused and neglected children who are in the family court system. At the tree in Lexington, community members circle around, picking envelopes that have names on them.

“We get to see from the 600+ children we’re serving every year things that they could use,” said Melynda Jamison, executive director of CASA of Lexington.

Some people picked up one envelope, others pulled multiple off of the tree. Each envelope has the opportunity to become a memory for a local child, as community members who choose the names will be able to go purchase items for the kids.

The Lexington tree started with 195 names, but CASA of Lexington also serves the surrounding counties. Jamison estimates they have around 500 names spread throughout Fayette, Bourbon, Woodford, Scott, Garrard, Jessamine, and Lincoln Counties.

If you would like to get involved in this project this holiday season, you can find more information at casaoflexington.org/joytree.

Credit: Caleb Barnes/LEX18