News
Ten sites to be part of fundraiser
Posted June 28, 2012
When a group of Bexley residents open the doors to their residences this weekend, they’ll be helping the Bexley Women’s Club open the door to college for dozens for students.
The fifth annual Bexley Women’s Club House and Garden Tour runs Saturday and Sunday, June 9 and 10, with all proceeds benefiting a scholarship fund that set a new record this year.
The club awarded 26 $1,000 scholarships to high school and college students, the most in its 77-year history.
“We’ve given away well over $400,000 and 800 scholarships,” said Ann Russell, club member and tour publicity chairwoman. “This has been a banner year because we gave away 26 $1,000 scholarships and that is the most scholarships and the most amount of money we’ve ever given away in a single year and that is a direct result of the House and Garden Tour.”
Ten sites will be featured on this year’s tour, ranging from a 6,000-square-foot mansion to a 90-year-old bungalow.
“The homes here – every one of them is different, so you get a great variety of homes and you get to see what homes were like in the 1920s and on,” Russell said. “You get a little bit of history along with the tour. It’s a very interesting transition of how not only the architecture, but the lifestyles have changed.”
Tour volunteers will be on hand at each site to answer questions. It takes about 300 volunteers to put the tour together each year, Russell said.
The House and Garden Tour has continued to grow in popularity, which in turn allows the club to help more students in the community.
“It’s been a real blessing for us and our scholarship program,” Russell said.
Bexley High School seniors who will receive club scholarships include: Bethany Barnes, Emily Hart, Sarah Motter, David Baker, Kelsey Davidson, Sydney Turoff, Aaron Pelz, Abigail Ghitman, Meredith Margulies, Margaret Flanigan, Emily Elisar, Ivy Tran, and Abigail Arace.
Robin Scranton Smith, a senior at Columbus School for Girls, also received a scholarship.
College scholarships also were awarded to Julia Gardner, Colin Philips, Preston Philips, Jessica Linger, Zack Arace, Brittney Solazzo, Tyisha Nedd, Tyler Johnson, Amy Fox, Rachel Hart, Grace Curran and Nathaniel Pelz.
The tour kicks off with a preview event Saturday that includes a party at the Columbus School for Girls, 56 S. Columbia Ave. Tickets for the preview party are $50 and include food from 19 local restaurants, a live band and a tour ticket good for Saturday and Sunday.
The tour sites will be open from 4 to 7 p.m., with the kickoff party starting at 7 p.m.
The Sunday tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Advance tickets are $15 and are available online or at Bruegger’s, Graeter’s Ice Cream and Johnson’s Ice Cream.
Day-of-tour tickets may be purchased for $20 at the ticket office of the Columbus School for Girls, 56 S. Columbia Ave.
For more information on the tour or to purchase tickets, visit www.bexleywomen.org.
