Dec 16, 2014 2 min read

Christmas is canceled this year; or at least the Community Action Southwest Olde Fashioned Christmas is.

Held annually for the last 20 years, the fundraiser has been put on ice this year due to budget constraints. Community Action Southwest chose instead to ask for donations this Christmas season.

The Olde Fashioned Christmas got its start 20 years ago in Scenery Hill. The event outgrew its location after its first year and was then relocated to the Washington County Courthouse. Later, while the courthouse was under construction, the event was moved to The George Washington hotel.

The hotel was not available for this year’s event, and after Community Action Southwest members crunched the numbers and included the cost of labor and volunteers, plans were changed and the Christmas event was canceled.

“The cost to organize … got close to outweighing the proceeds,” said Darlene Bigler, Community Action Southwest’s chief executive officer and a 21-year employee. According to Bigler, the Olde Fashioned Christmas usually raised $35,000. While unsure of the exact cost to put on the event, Bigler did say it could have been around $20,000.

“It didn’t net very much,” she said.

To generate money, Community Action Southwest is asking for general Christmas donations instead of the usual money spent on tickets for an evening out at the Olde Fashioned Christmas.

Proceeds go to a variety of services and programs to make up for gaps between grants, according to Bigler. Donations could help provide education to preschoolers, work with families to better manage their money and plan for homeownership, or help workers increase their education to find a better-paying job.

Donations can be made at caswg.org, Community Action Southwest’s website, or mailed to 150 W. Beau St., Suite 304, Washington, Pa., 15301.