Utah influencers shatter Festival of Trees record with $50K donation
SALT LAKE CITY — Local social media influencers JT and Brooklyn Laybourne helped raise over $50,000, which will be donated to Primary Children’s Hospital in honor of a young Utah girl.
The donation easily surpassed the previous record of $27,000 for the highest sold tree at the festival in its 51 years.
The money was used to bid for the “A Christmas for Jocelyn” tree, which was donated by hospital volunteers in honor of 3-year-old Jocelyn Ducharme.
Jocelyn passed away in September after being diagnosed with Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor — a rare and fast-growing cancerous tumor of the brain and spinal cord. She underwent a very complex brain surgery at Primary Children’s Hospital where most of the tumor was removed.
However, hospital officials said later scans showed that the remains of the tumor had continued to grow uncontrollably, and her parents decided to let her rest after years of treatment.
In a video posted to his TikTok account, JT Laybourne said he met with Primary Children’s Hospital and asked them to decorate a tree for Jocelyn.
@jt_laybourne The time has come… ALL our love for @team_jocelyn #GivingSzn #teamjocelyn ♬ original sound – JTThe hospital agreed and said Laybourne could raise money through the social media platform.
Laybourne said the tree will be donated to Jocelyn’s parents, Katelynn and Josh Ducharme. The Ducharmes said it will be the best way to celebrate their daughter, who inspired thousands during her life, ahead of Dec. 3, which would have been her fourth birthday.
They joined Laybourne and other guests, including the Utah Jazz Bear, during Tuesday’s fundraiser, and answered questions and shared fond memories of their daughter.
Festival officials said Laybourne initially set a goal of $30,000. It was met in just 37 minutes. As of Wednesday morning, they had raised just over $50,000.
The tree was decorated by Julia Saxton and donated by CCD volunteers at Primary Children’s Hospital.
Tune in to the 51st annual Festival of Trees Utah Nov 30 – Dec 4 benefiting Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. Learn how you can participate, donate, and experience the festivities at FestivalofTreesUtah.org
And tune in to KSL TV and KSL NewsRadio on Friday for this year’s Primary Children’s Give-A-Thon. As always, 100% of the money received during the KSL Give-A-Thon goes to the kids.
Since 1983, KSL has raised nearly $60 million dollars for the hospital through generous donations from the community.
You can visit KSLKids.com and make a donation by clicking on the Give-A-Thon image at the top of the page.
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