guild holiday meeting (holiday party #3)

I am a Guild member, and no one is more surprised than me. The Guild supports the programs of this community center. I love the center and everything it does.

The Guild was established in 1908 and has a rich history in the community. The House was the first settlement house in the city, started in 1905. The Guild gave the House over $90,000 last year to help with utilities, repairs and general expenses. As you can imagine, this unrestricted gift is a huge help to the running of the House. The members also put a lot of volunteer time in at the House. I love it that Second Helpings provides food for the senior program.

Our holiday meeting was held at this lovely home which is currently featured in a glossy home magazine. Okay, you've all see pictures of Chez Pez - my half of the house would fit into the kitchen of his house. As you can guess, I'm not the typical Guild member. Of the 68 active members, I'm the only single one and one of the few without children - or a home big and fancy enough to host a Guild meeting.

I've really struggled with my six year commitment to the Guild. I was ready to resign last year (my first year), but I decided to stick it out one more year. Then they made me a board member. Arrgh. I have a hard time making it to meetings, they are all at 9:30 in the morning which is smack in the middle of my busy time at work. Most of the members live in a suburb of Indianapolis, which is a good 45 minutes from work. So for me to attend a meeting I'm gone from work for at least 4 hours. A lot of times I'll take a vacation day to go to a meeting.

That said, I think the Guild does wonderful work - and I'm proud, albeit a little confused as to why, to be part of them. I've learning some valuable lessons, meeting some great people and getting a peek in to some swanky homes.