The St. Joseph’s Carmelite Home has been helping the children of Northwest Indiana for 102 years. In 2016, they did not disappoint. The home housed up to 70 children at a time, ranging from birth to 18 years. The home provided food, shelter, medical care, education, transportation and recreation to all residents throughout the year.
However, this could not have been accomplished without the help of The Guild of the St. Joseph’s Home. The Guild has been fundraising and volunteering for the Carmelite Home for over 40 years. The fundraising events hosted by The Guild have helped to pay for new beds for the children, holiday parties and countless birthday gifts.
The Guild’s largest annual fundraiser is the gala held at Villa Cesare in Schererville. Each year, attendees spend two hours shopping at booths by various local vendors, enjoying dinner and taking in a fashion show. Every event has a unique theme with very elaborate décor.
The theme for the 2016 event was ‘Through the Looking Glass’. The décor, which was all handmade by the women of The Guild, featured life-sized cutouts of characters from the story, a tea party set which included authentic antique pieces and details like ‘Drink Me’ tags on each table’s bottle of wine. The members of The Guild were also dressed in costume, with the organization’s vice president, Sara Augustine, serving as Alice.
Over 720 Northwest Indiana residents from various local organizations, including the Foundations of East Chicago (FEC), were in attendance that evening. Tens of thousands of dollars were raised for the children of the Carmelite Home.
To learn more about 2016 events that have benefited the community, visit www.FoundationsEC.org.
