The Parade Planner

BY DONNA CRARY

In 2014, the Stuart Christmas parade was in danger of closing up shop. The City of Stuart had hosted the parade for many years and needed another organization to step in for the holiday magic to continue. Not missing an opportunity to help spread holiday cheer, the Visiting Nurse Association answered the call and put on the parade just in the nick of time. The VNA has been hosting the beloved event since. 

“It was only a couple of months before the parade,” Jennifer Crow, CEO of VNA, says of the call from the city. “I thought: Yes, we can do this, but, oh my gosh, can we prepare for this large of an event in two months? That was our biggest challenge that first year. We’re not a small organization, but we’re financially frugal. We don’t have an event department, so it’s literally all hands on deck.”