July/August 2024
The Coxhall Guild hosted the sixth annual Posh Picnic on the evening of Saturday, August 17, 2024. This annual fundraiser was presented by the Coxhall Guild, The Stratford, and Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department.
The Mission of the Coxhall Guild
The mission of the guild is to promote events, sponsor activities, raise funds to enhance the overall beauty of the Coxhall Estate and Gardens, and to educate the public about this historic property.
Over the years, the guild has held many successful events, including dinners in the gardens, ice cream socials, hoedowns, madrigal dinners, mother-daughter teas, Christmas tours through the mansion and tablescapes, just to name a few. All of the proceeds go back into the Coxhall Estate. The biggest fundraiser for the past few years has been Posh Picnic, a special event held outside every summer filled with creativity, music, dancing and a silent auction.
Recently, Coxhall Guild President Mary Robinson announced that the guild has officially established its 501C3 and emphasized that its partnership with Hamilton County Parks and Rec will continue to strengthen as the guild looks to increase its collaborative efforts throughout the county.
“It took a bit of work and time, but we’re finally there,” Robinson said. “We previously had fallen under a different 501C3, and now that we’ve established our own, we can completely focus on Coxhall for the betterment of the gardens and mansion. We’re collaborating with a lot of people and organizations within the community and are excited for the opportunities that are opening up for us now. By establishing our 501C3, we’re able to foster new relationships with local organizations and build upon our existing relationships.”
Coxhall Guild members Sandra Pirkle and Joey Kempler also spoke about the recent 501C3 designation and growing interest in the Coxhall Guild.
“We’re bringing in a lot of new people, which is really nice,” Pirkle said. “The intent to serve the community was there from the beginning [of the guild], and now we will have more opportunities being a nonprofit. It’s already opening more doors, and people are coming to us with their collaborative ideas.”
Kempler added, “Our main goal [in the beginning] was to restore and keep up the mansion and the property’s history. That was our goal for several years, and we just kept growing and chipping away at that, and now there’s even more interest [in Coxhall] and more projects for the guild to work on. When [the guild] first started, there were just a few of us sitting around a table, and now we’ve grown to about 60 members.”
Community Impact
Through their fundraising efforts, the Coxhall Guild has provided the following:
– Statuaries that depict children enjoying various nature experiences
– Large urns throughout the park with a variety of seasonal flowers and decorations, which are maintained by the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation staff
– An atomic kaleidoscope
– An open-air pavilion for meetings and family gatherings
– Support for the Hamilton County Master Gardeners
– Participating sponsor for the Cool Creek summer concert series
– Assistance to Carmel Symphony Orchestra with their presentation of summer concerts at Coxhall Park
– Support for the Hosta Society and their contribution to the new Hosta garden located at Coxhall Mansion
– Docent support for the monthly tours of Coxhall Mansion
– Decorating Coxhall Mansion for the holidays and providing open-house tours for the community
– Participation in other events through the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department to provide community awareness of this beautiful historical park and former home of Jesse Cox, local philanthropist and business owner
Visit the Coxhall Guild’s website at coxhallguild.com and visit coxhallguild.com/sponsorships for further information on how you can participate as a sponsor or volunteer.
