The Katherine Meloy Circle of the Association for Catholic Childhood (ACC) will once again sponsor the Magnolia Holiday Tour of Homes, on Dec. 1, to benefit women and children.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., participants will tour five homes, with the proceeds benefiting Catholic Community Services’ (CCS) programs.
“The homeowners are usually people involved in the ACC,” said Theresa Gallant, an associate of the ACC. “They are asked to decorate their homes for the holidays. Different homes are decorated more than others. [A person who oversees the event] also makes sure the house is safe, such as the stairs, and that it’s enjoyable.”
This year’s tour will feature five homes, including a small bungalow, a traditional East Coast home, a rebuilt house, a boulevard home and a contemporary residence, according to event literature.
The community can also stop in at the Our Lady Fatima Parish Center, 3218 W. Barrett St., between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. for refreshments and gift-shop browsing for festive decorations, jewelry, scarves, art, American Girl doll clothes and more.
The homeowners typically vacate their homes from 8:30 a.m. until the end of the day.
“They are gracious to turn over their houses to us,” Gallant said. “They are very kind, trusting, and we really appreciate it.”
Longtime benefactors
The ACC is one of many circles (or guilds) that benefits the CCS.
Circles raise money through holiday parties, special events and donations. Circle members pay dues to the CCS and attend CCS luncheons, celebrations and other events.
Each circle decides what fund-raisers it wants to undertake.
“We hope to raise $30,000 on this tour,” Gallant said.
This 2012 tour — the 18th tour the ACC has done — is put on every other year, making this the 30th year of the tour’s existence.
“The last seven tours raised a total of $191,200 to benefit Catholic Community Services,” Gallant said.
Additionally, the ACC participates in fund-raising, revenue procuring, advocacy and volunteer service.
“The ACC was founded in 1918 by a group of women in Capitol Hill that helped pregnant girls who weren’t married,” explained CCS administrator Shannon Crowley. “Eventually, we got more sophisticated in terms of social work and children, and they turned to fund-raising to provide efforts, instead of providing it themselves.”
The ACC has been helpful to CCS, according to Bill Hallerman, agency director for Catholic Community Services of King County.
“For 90 years, [the Katherine Meloy Circle has] supported a lot of our programs that help families and children,” he said. “In some ways, they were the predecessors before CCS was born.”
CCS is the largest, private, social-service agency in Washington state, with aid allocated toward thousands of programs that benefit women and children.
Tickets for the home tour are $25 per person. They can be purchased from the Magnolia Garden Center, 3213 W. Smith St. Tickets can also be purchased the day of the tour for $30 per person at Our Lady Fatima Parish Center, 3218 W. Barrett St. For more information, call (206) 285-1208 or visit www.magnoliaholidaytourofhomes.com.
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