When you get ready to buy your Christmas tree this season, look no further than The Adam Faulk Tanksley Foundation Christmas Tree Lot in Waxhaw. For the past seven years, the foundation has hosted the tree lot with 100 percent of the proceeds supporting Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Hospital.

Located at 8500 Rea Road (corner of Rea Road and Crane Road), the Christmas tree lot will be open Thanksgiving Day until Friday, December 21: Mon.-Fri: 5:00-9:00 p.m. and Sat.-Sun. 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. There will also homemade wreaths available for sale.

“This tree lot has truly been a wonderful experience for us and the community,” said Sharon Tanksley, Adam’s mom and executive director of the foundation named in her son’s honor. “Several local high school baseball teams volunteer and get community services hours. We feel so blessed to have such true volunteers and customers support the tree lot and our mission.”

The Christmas tree lot is the biggest fundraiser for The Adam Faulk Tanksley Foundation and raises approximately $75,000 each holiday season. The trees come from the North Carolina mountains courtesy of The Blair Mills Foundation. The organization’s “Angels Among Us” was created for a young girl named Blair Mills who fought neuroblastoma years ago and passed away after a long and hard battle with this cancer. The Blair Mills Foundation continues, in her memory, to fight by providing fresh cut Frasier Fir trees to four lots for Hometown Heroes and a lot for Adam Faulk Tanksley Foundation. 

“In collaboration with these foundations, we want to give children and families who are fighting cancer the hope of one more day, one more Christmas and a cure for this horrible disease,” said Sharon. “Please get your tree from one of these locations and enjoy your Christmas this year knowing that you are contributing to children and families in efforts to win the battle against childhood cancer.”

Adam is a 10-year cancer survivor. In January 2008, he was diagnosed with Stage IV Anaplastic Wilms’ Tumor, an extremely rare childhood kidney cancer with unfavorable history – just a 25% estimated cure rate and 80% relapse probability. In addition to his cancer treatment, Adam also had part of his lung removed. Today he is cancer free and doing great. While he only has 50-percent lung capacity, that doesn’t stop him from being active and playing sports. Now a 14-year-old freshman in high school, Adam recently received his black belt in karate, does kickboxing and plays baseball. 

The Tanksley Family relocated from Charlotte to Easley, SC in 2014, but come back to Charlotte for their LCH visits and to help at the tree lot. Adds Sharon, “Each holiday season we look forward to the tree lot, which is one of our favorite Christmas traditions and has such a good feel and vibe. This is a great opportunity for everyone to come together to Chomp Childhood Cancer.”