Christmas Village, one of Nashville, Tennessee’s oldest philanthropic events, takes place from November 15-17, 2013, at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. This will be the 53rd Christmas Village. It started in 1961 when Pi Beta Phi alumnae Berenice Miller Denton and Barbara White Fridrich came up with the idea of a one-day, one-stop, shopping opportunity with local merchants.
I once served on a Pi Phi committee with Martha Ann “Monk” Baird; she was president of the Nashville Alumnae Club when the first Christmas Village took place. Two years ago I attended Christmas Village at her invitation. What an incredible event it is!
Martha Ann “Monk” Baird, served as Pi Beta Phi Nashville, TN, Alumnae Club’s President when Christmas Village was created.
On the Christmas Village website, Denton described the effort that went into getting vendors to be a part of that first event, “Barbara Fridrich and I called on prospective customers to convince them of our idea of Christmas Village. At that time there were no shopping centers, malls, etc. Our idea was hard to present. We were both pregnant at the time, and we had many stores tell us that if we would just leave they would be in our show, as they didn’t want the babies to be born in their shop! We certainly used this to the best of our ability! Our ‘Christmas Village’ babies were born just before the first Christmas Village in November.”
The first Christmas Village raised $1,000. The 2012 Christmas Village tally was $480,000. During its 52 years, more than $8.5 million has been given away. The recipients of the largest donations have been Vanderbilt’s Bill Wilkerson Center, Vanderbilt’s Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute, and the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. See http://www.christmasvillage.org/ for more information.
The “You Are Here” map of Christmas Village, 2011
Other National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) alumnae organizations also offer additional shopping opportunities this holiday season.
Chi Omega alumnae in the Dallas area sponsor the 36th Chi Omega Christmas Market, with 175 merchants participating. More than $6 million has been donated to Dallas charities and scholarships over the years. It will take place in Fair Park from November 20-23, 2013. See http://www.chiomegaxmas.org/ for more information.
St. Louis residents can buy a Christmas tree, wreaths, and holiday decorations from Delta Gamma alumnae at their 58th annual Shining Light Tree Lot and Holiday Boutique. Out-of-towners can order wreaths for shipment. All proceeds benefit the Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments. The lot is located at 1341 N. Rock Hill Road in St. Louis. The lot is open from November 27 – December 20. See http://www.dgckids.org/treelot/index.php for more information.
More shopping opportunities can be had in St. Louis by visiting the Sign of the Arrow, a needlepoint and gift shop located at 9740 Clayton Road. A project of the Pi Beta Phi St. Louis Alumnae Club, the shop opened in 1966. Its specialty is needlepoint including belts, custom canvases, yarn, finishing etc. as well as general gift items. All proceeds benefit charities. More than $3.5 million has been given to 178 causes over the years. On-line shopping options feature sorority needlepoint ornament canvases. See http://www.signofthearrow.com/ for more information.
Houston’s Theta Charity Antiques Show is a fundraiser of the Kappa Alpha Theta Houston Alumnae. It began in 1952 and is a five-day event. More than $6.5 million has been raised and 90 organizations have benefited from the show’s proceeds. The 2013 show will take place on November 21-24, 2013, with a preview party on November 20. It will take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Hall A. See http://thetacharityantiquesshow.com/show-events/ for more information.
While not a shopping opportunity, Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae in the Kansas City area have been doing a Holiday Homes Tour since 1952 and have contributed more than $2 million to charities and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation. See http://kappahomestour.com/ for more information.
The Dayton Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi is hosting its 10th Annual Floral Fantasy on Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at 7:oo p.m. It will take place at the Epiphany Lutheran Church in Centerville. For more information see https://sites.google.com/site/daytonff/Index.
The Tucson Area Alumnae Panhellenic sells poinsettias to raise funds for scholarships. See http://www.tulsapanhellenic.org/poinsettia-sale/ for more information.
If there are more NPC alumnae club holiday shopping fundraisers coming up, please let me know and I will add them. I am also interested in compiling a list of the long-running style shows, luncheons, galas and other fundraising events of that type. Please feel free to send me information.
(c) Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2013. All Rights Reserved.
Although I am no longer in Tulsa, the Tulsa Area Alumnae Panhellenic has sold poinsettias for over 25 years. The proceeds benefit Panhellenic scholarships and the Tulsa Public Schools eyeglass fund.