Lizie Froloff was just 7 years old when she drew a picture of a child receiving a Christmas tree, along with a note saying she wanted to buy trees for families who didn’t have one. That year, she raised enough money to buy five trees, which she gave to the guidance counselor at Calusa Park Elementary School in Naples to give to children who did not have a tree.
The following year, she created Lizie’s Trees 4 Needs and gave away 10 trees. Now, Lizie is a senior at Naples High School and has a goal of distributing 50 trees to local families.
“I have a Christmas tree. I want everybody else to have a Christmas tree,” Lizie said.
“I remember we were putting up our tree and she said, ‘Why can’t we just get trees for people who need them’ and I said, ‘This is expensive’,” explained Lizie’s mother, Lizette Froloff. “So, she asked people to donate money. She had the whole idea and ran with it.”
Lizie not only buys a pre-lit 6’5” tree, but also shatterproof ornaments, a lighted star for the top, and a tree skirt. She said each complete set costs about $125.
A big goal
In 2024, Lizie’s Trees 4 Needs became a nonprofit organization, which Lizie hopes will encourage more people to donate to the cause.
“A lot of the people donate each year,” Lizie said. “We are super lucky, but we are hoping to get more donations and develop a partnership with Walmart. I want to see if they will match what I get. I have a big goal.”
Lizie doesn’t usually know who receives the trees.
“We go to the school,” she explained. “We thought it was best to keep it anonymous, so they don’t think we are judging them.”
Last year Lizie gave more than 25 trees to families at Calusa Park Elementary School and Lavern Gaynor Elementary School.
“I wish I could video record when parents come to pick up the tree,” said Stacy Hamburg, school counselor at Calusa Park Elementary. “It is heartwarming to see this
in person.”
Hamburg said there is a real need for this type of giving.
“It is a beautiful program, and it impacts many kids,” she said. “When people move to a new area, I don’t think Christmas trees make the cut for the moving list. It is so nice that they can have a tree.”
Lizie did get to deliver one tree last year after receiving a message from a family in Lehigh Acres that really needed a tree. “It was definitely a blessing” to be able to see the reactions of the family accepting the donation, she said. “The whole idea is to give Christmas magic to kids in elementary school. It is definitely emotional to see someone get something that everyone else has.”
For more info or to donate, visit liziestrees4needs.org.