Friends & Neighbors turn Cary House into Christmas joy for EWH
Some pretty famous crooners, from Perry Como to the Carpenters, sang about how there is no place like home for the holidays.
That may be true, but when it comes to kicking off the Christmas season, Holmes County Friends & Neighbors of Every Woman’s House (EWH) makes a pretty convincing argument that there is indeed somewhere to go for the holidays other than home.
The group put on its annual Home for the Holidays Christmas tour from Thursday, Dec. 1 to Sunday, Dec. 4, where a number of local businesses and organizations decked out the various rooms at the old Cary House in Millersburg to create a serene haven filled with Christmas joy.
The event is put forth for several different reasons. The first, to create a stunning display of Christmas decorations, with 13 local entities each taking a room and transforming the Cary House into a beautifully adorned Christmas delight.
The designers for the Christmas event included Jackson Street Gallery, Village Antique Emporium, The Posey Pad Florist, Tis the Season, Coblentz Chocolates, Route 83 Restaurant, The Vinery, Real Estate Showcase, Wayne Savings Community Bank, The Holmes County Humane Society, Friends of the Holmes County Library, Pomerene Midwifery Group and Beauty & the Beach Tanning Salon.
From the moment patrons stepped into the Cary House to the very top floor, which was opened up for the event, the house, now home to the Holmes County Education Foundation (HCEF), fairly exuded Christmas joy.
The home was open on Thursday, Dec. 1 for Patrons Night, which cost a little more but also featured live strings music from the No Fret Trio, as well as some tasty hors d’oeuvres.
While patrons were treated to a warm and inviting Christmas decor, the real winner for the weekend was Every Woman’s House, which serves both Wayne and Holmes counties, and provides a haven for abused women and children who are seeking refuge from physical and mental abuse in the family setting.
“Not only was this a successful fundraiser, but it is also a great avenue to serve as a point of awareness to the community as to what Every Woman’s House provides,” said Beverly Chrapowicki, president of Friends & Neighbors, an organization in Holmes County that benefits Every Woman’s House. “It’s imperative that we get the information out concerning Every Woman’s House. They do such an important work in our area, and this weekend is nice because it is a collaborative effort. We have joined forces with Safe Communities’ Holiday Happy Hour and the Victorian House to promote each other’s events, so it really has become a group effort.”
It also served as a way to introduce the public to the Cary House, and to the efforts put forth by HCEF.
According to Darla Stitzlein, executive director at HCEF, getting involved with Home for the Holidays was a no-brainer.
“The fact that we could offer this awesome facility, which is one of the most beautiful homes in Holmes County, to benefit such a great cause was enough of a reason,” said Stitzlein. “That was obviously our top priority. But it also gave us an opportunity to open our doors to a group of people who may not have ever seen the inside of the home. And many people don’t know what we do here, so it was a real win-win all around.”
Tina Zickefoose, EWH advocate and outreach specialist, said that even as the word continues to spread about the vital role Every Woman’s House plays in the Wayne and Holmes community, it is utterly important that they continue to try to get the word out about how the organization can aid families in need.
So when it comes to explaining what EWH does, she approached everyone who came through on the tour as though they were totally unaware of what EWH offers.
Zickefoose also said that while the members of Friends & Neighbors are a diverse group, they all share one common characteristic.
“Every single member is driven by the concept that Every Woman’s House is there for people in great need,” said Zickefoose. “They all realize that it is so important to provide a place for abused women to turn, and they are glad it is here. It’s a group of different people who have one goal, and raising awareness is something that they all see as being important to the cause.”
The EWH office for Holmes County, located at 186 W. Jackson St. in Millersburg, where it shares office space with Your Human Resource Center, is a place where people can feel safe, according to Zickefoose.
“It’s peace of mind, where nobody is going to judge you,” said Zickefoose.
The huge start buoyed by Patrons Night, which saw upwards of 150 people venture into the Cary House to catch the Christmas spirit and learn about EWH, led to a superb weekend as a fundraiser, with Friends & Neighbors raising several thousand dollars from the venture.
“It was a fantastic turnout, and everyone seemed to congregate on the third floor, where the live music and hors d’oeuvres were located,” said Chrapowicki.
The area decorators began the process of embellishing the Cary home with Christmas cheer on Wednesday evening, but the majority of the work began in earnest on Thursday, even while the HCEF went about business as usual.
As designers went in and out of the building, the transformation took place, with both parties simply respecting each other’s valued time.
“We are extremely grateful to the Education Foundation for their hospitality and willingness to be a part of this,” said Chrapowicki. “It was very generous of them to allow us in here during working hours like they did. We just tried to work around them as much as possible and not be a burden.
It turned out they did a great job of that, and the beneficiaries were the patrons who experienced a serene Christmas setting, and, of course, Every Woman’s House and its clients, who received support from a caring community, the best gift of all this Christmas season.
That may be true, but when it comes to kicking off the Christmas season, Holmes County Friends & Neighbors of Every Woman’s House (EWH) makes a pretty convincing argument that there is indeed somewhere to go for the holidays other than home.
The group put on its annual Home for the Holidays Christmas tour from Thursday, Dec. 1 to Sunday, Dec. 4, where a number of local businesses and organizations decked out the various rooms at the old Cary House in Millersburg to create a serene haven filled with Christmas joy.
The event is put forth for several different reasons. The first, to create a stunning display of Christmas decorations, with 13 local entities each taking a room and transforming the Cary House into a beautifully adorned Christmas delight.
The designers for the Christmas event included Jackson Street Gallery, Village Antique Emporium, The Posey Pad Florist, Tis the Season, Coblentz Chocolates, Route 83 Restaurant, The Vinery, Real Estate Showcase, Wayne Savings Community Bank, The Holmes County Humane Society, Friends of the Holmes County Library, Pomerene Midwifery Group and Beauty & the Beach Tanning Salon.
From the moment patrons stepped into the Cary House to the very top floor, which was opened up for the event, the house, now home to the Holmes County Education Foundation (HCEF), fairly exuded Christmas joy.
The home was open on Thursday, Dec. 1 for Patrons Night, which cost a little more but also featured live strings music from the No Fret Trio, as well as some tasty hors d’oeuvres.
While patrons were treated to a warm and inviting Christmas decor, the real winner for the weekend was Every Woman’s House, which serves both Wayne and Holmes counties, and provides a haven for abused women and children who are seeking refuge from physical and mental abuse in the family setting.
“Not only was this a successful fundraiser, but it is also a great avenue to serve as a point of awareness to the community as to what Every Woman’s House provides,” said Beverly Chrapowicki, president of Friends & Neighbors, an organization in Holmes County that benefits Every Woman’s House. “It’s imperative that we get the information out concerning Every Woman’s House. They do such an important work in our area, and this weekend is nice because it is a collaborative effort. We have joined forces with Safe Communities’ Holiday Happy Hour and the Victorian House to promote each other’s events, so it really has become a group effort.”
It also served as a way to introduce the public to the Cary House, and to the efforts put forth by HCEF.
According to Darla Stitzlein, executive director at HCEF, getting involved with Home for the Holidays was a no-brainer.
“The fact that we could offer this awesome facility, which is one of the most beautiful homes in Holmes County, to benefit such a great cause was enough of a reason,” said Stitzlein. “That was obviously our top priority. But it also gave us an opportunity to open our doors to a group of people who may not have ever seen the inside of the home. And many people don’t know what we do here, so it was a real win-win all around.”
Tina Zickefoose, EWH advocate and outreach specialist, said that even as the word continues to spread about the vital role Every Woman’s House plays in the Wayne and Holmes community, it is utterly important that they continue to try to get the word out about how the organization can aid families in need.
So when it comes to explaining what EWH does, she approached everyone who came through on the tour as though they were totally unaware of what EWH offers.
Zickefoose also said that while the members of Friends & Neighbors are a diverse group, they all share one common characteristic.
“Every single member is driven by the concept that Every Woman’s House is there for people in great need,” said Zickefoose. “They all realize that it is so important to provide a place for abused women to turn, and they are glad it is here. It’s a group of different people who have one goal, and raising awareness is something that they all see as being important to the cause.”
The EWH office for Holmes County, located at 186 W. Jackson St. in Millersburg, where it shares office space with Your Human Resource Center, is a place where people can feel safe, according to Zickefoose.
“It’s peace of mind, where nobody is going to judge you,” said Zickefoose.
The huge start buoyed by Patrons Night, which saw upwards of 150 people venture into the Cary House to catch the Christmas spirit and learn about EWH, led to a superb weekend as a fundraiser, with Friends & Neighbors raising several thousand dollars from the venture.
“It was a fantastic turnout, and everyone seemed to congregate on the third floor, where the live music and hors d’oeuvres were located,” said Chrapowicki.
The area decorators began the process of embellishing the Cary home with Christmas cheer on Wednesday evening, but the majority of the work began in earnest on Thursday, even while the HCEF went about business as usual.
As designers went in and out of the building, the transformation took place, with both parties simply respecting each other’s valued time.
“We are extremely grateful to the Education Foundation for their hospitality and willingness to be a part of this,” said Chrapowicki. “It was very generous of them to allow us in here during working hours like they did. We just tried to work around them as much as possible and not be a burden.
It turned out they did a great job of that, and the beneficiaries were the patrons who experienced a serene Christmas setting, and, of course, Every Woman’s House and its clients, who received support from a caring community, the best gift of all this Christmas season.
Published: December 6, 2011
