Benefactors

Place of hope (continued)

Giboney gift grows
Decked out in patriotic red, white and blue, the UC Davis Cancer Center’s fourth annual Giboney Tree of Hope drew patients, staff and ornament shoppers from around the city.

The December event raised another $3,500 for breast cancer research at UC Davis, raising the total generated by the yearly fundraiser to $25,000. The tree also brought seasonal cheer to hundreds of cancer patients and kept alive the name and spirit of Joan Giboney.

A Lodi decorator who loved the holidays and lived to help others, Giboney decorated the first tree in 1996 as a gift to fellow patients and cancer center staff. She died of breast cancer the following spring, leaving behind a devoted husband, two daughters, two grandchildren — and plans for the following year’s toy-themed tree. Every year since, her family and friends have continued the tradition.

“For our family, this tree so symbolizes my mother. She was always thinking about other people, and what she could do to lift their spirits,” says Corrine Christensen, one of Giboney’s daughters. “You see my mom when you see the tree.”

If you would like to receive advance notice of this year’s orna- ment sale, please call (916) 734-5800.

Antoonette and Antinia Brown admire the Gibony Tree of Hope.