The gift of giving: COTA donates holiday trees to local students and their families
Circuit of The Americas (COTA) is adding an extra sparkle to smiles during its third year of Peppermint Parkway by gifting Del Valle students and families with 600 locally sourced Fraser fir trees from Brungot Farms.
COTA’s Chairman and Founder Bobby Epstein ideated this gift to help neighboring Del Valle Independent School District (DVISD) incentivize students to attend school and reward them for making their education a priority. “It’s just really nice that [COTA] is honoring these kids for what they’ve done and the commitment they are making to school,” said Tiffany Falke while she and her son, Lawrence Falke, picked up their tree. Lawrence, a senior in high school, is turning 18 next week and this will be the first real tree in the Falke home. “Because of this gift, it will be my and my son’s first time ever having a real tree,” Tiffany said.
COTA hand-delivered vouchers for a complimentary Fraser fir tree to the District who selected 600 students out of 3,045 eligible students with perfect attendance via raffle. Within hours of receiving their voucher, families flooded to the new Wonder Woods tree farm at COTA with excitement.
This past weekend (Dec. 2-4), more than 130 students and their families visited Wonder Woods to pick up their tree. It was apparent that parents and siblings were extremely proud of their family member for their accomplishment, encouraging the student to take a photo with the tree they earned.
The true essence of holiday magic—infectious excitement, gratitude, and the sweet smell of donuts and hot cocoa—was in the air. The students were welcomed by a COTA representative and Lydia De La Garza, the Director of Student and Family Community Engagement with DVISD, who was decked out in a decorated tree costume.
“It’s amazing to have the opportunity to reward our families with the great gift of a real tree. Times right now are a little difficult so we’re very, very thankful that Circuit of The Americas made this possible. It’s heartwarming to see our families here enjoying the hot cocoa, donuts, and this special moment for the Del Valle community,” De La Garza said. Congratulations to the Del Valle elementary-aged students to seniors in high school on their monumental achievement.
About COTA x Brungot Farms:
In addition to taking care of its neighboring school district, COTA supported a local business in this endeavor: Brungot Farms, a tree farm in Cedar Park, TX. COTA Chairman and Founder Bobby Epstein’s idea of gifting trees caught Brungot Farms’ owner Aaron’s attention as it aligns with Brungot Farms’ HOPE mission. Now, a little over a year from the inception of the partnership, COTA and Brungot Farms are bringing cheer to locals this holiday season.
