Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/24/2020 --A 10-year-old Salt Lake City area cancer survivor and former patient at Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital has been selected to serve as a third co-host of the first-ever Festival of Trees live broadcast, it was announced Monday.

Payson Inkley will be joining internationally-acclaimed singer and actor Alex Boyé, and Cami Carver, a former patient at Primary Children's who has launched an acting career, as co-hosts of the show.

The 90-minute show will broadcast live from Vivint Arena at 7 pm on Dec. 4. The show is produced by Intermountain Foundation and will be live-streamed on the festival's website, makegoodgrow.org and the festival's social media channels. Portions will air locally on KSL-TV. Air times and digital platforms will be announced soon.

The broadcast will feature musical performances, stories of patients and volunteers connected with Primary Children's, and other special guests. It is the first live broadcast show in the 50-year history of the Festival of Trees, which is virtual this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All funds raised by the festival are used to support patients and families at Primary Children's Hospital.

Payson was diagnosed with leukemia in 2017, just four days before his seventh birthday. He took his diagnosis and treatment in stride, and on Oct. 8, 2019 – after 889 days of fighting the disease – finished his cancer treatments. Today, he is doing well. He enjoys performing in musical theatre, sports, and spending time with his family.

"I'm so excited to be a part of the show with Alex and Cami," said Payson. "The show is going to be super cool, and we promise everyone it will have some big surprises. Best of all, we get to have fun while also helping kids like me who are sick and need treatment at Primary Children's."

The festival officially kicks off on Dec. 1, when the traditional silent auction begins for the beautifully decorated trees that are the hallmark of the annual festival.

The public can go to makegoodgrow.org to view and bid on the 150 trees on display at Vivint arena. The festival website has already launched some engaging interactive elements that allow viewers to build their own virtual Christmas trees, schedule a Zoom visit with Santa Claus, and shop for an array of holiday items in the festival's virtual shoppes.

The Festival of Trees, one of the area's most enduring holiday traditions, is produced by Intermountain Foundation. It serves as a fundraiser to benefit children and families from across Utah and the Intermountain West who receive specialized care at Primary Children's Hospital.

Last year's in-person festival attracted about 100,000 people and raised about $2.6 million for the hospital. Festival organizers are encouraging the community to help make this year's unique festival more impactful than ever, despite the challenges created by the pandemic.

"We are just delighted to have Payson as part of our live show," said Shauna Davis, who chairs the Festival of Trees Volunteer Board and whose family has a long history of support for the event. "Now we have three 'rock stars' hosting our event – Alex, Cami and Payson. The chemistry between them is just fabulous and they are going to do a wonderful job bringing joy and holiday spirit to the homes of families across our entire region."

About Primary Children's Hospital
Primary Children's Hospital is part of Intermountain Healthcare, a not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 215 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,500 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. For more than 95 years, Primary's have served over 1 million children living in a 400,000 square-mile service area including Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, and Alaska. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs.