Oddfellows Over the Top!

Tonight's gala celebration for Oddfellows Youth Playhouse was a big success, both in friend-raising and fund-raising. More than 300 people gathered at St. Clement's Castle in Portland to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the children's theater, ranging from Nat Needle, one of Oddfellows' founders and a Wesleyan alum from the 1970's, right up to a current 13-year-old Junior Rep member who described her Oddfellows experiences as "life-changing."

I was struck by the size and generosity of the crowd, in spite of the conventional wisdom that local donors are "tapped out." Bidding at the silent auction was brisk: I saw Izzi Greenberg win the David Schultz painting, Dora Glinn scooped up an Alice Schumacher olive tray, and my spouse will have the privilege of getting lessons from the dapper Frank Kuan on the right way to wear a Bow Tie. The live auction included 9 items that were hotly contested - such as $500 or so for tickets to a baseball game at Yankee Stadium, more than $2000 for a vacation spot in France, and $1,600 each from two lucky couples who will be going on an African Safari (one of those being a Middletown Councilman and his delighted wife.)

I hope this is good news for all the local arts non-profits who rely on donations to supplement their budgets - it was great to see people gathering in the name of such a great organization! Congratulations Oddfellows!