Our Beginning:

In 1890, a group of women and girls, members of the King’s Daughters of St. Paul Episcopal Church, who had been sewing for the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati decided that Columbus needed a similar hospital. The group raised $125 as a nucleus of a fund which established a nine-bed hospital to serve the children of Columbus.

From this same group of women, Mrs. Erskine D. Fullerton established a “Pleasure Fund” to be used to provide entertainment for the small, shut-in patients.  Under her direction, some 30 boys and girls met on Saturdays and made handcrafted articles which were sold to raise money so they could purchase "pleasures" for children in the hospital.

After Mrs. Fullerton’s death, this fund was continued as a memorial to her. A number of young women were invited to combine efforts with the boys and girls, and in 1908 Pleasure Guild of Children’s Hospital was formalized.

Fundraising has always been a major guild objective. Early fundraisers benefitting the hospital included charity balls, variety shows, horse shows, luncheon style shows and, since 1958, the annual children’s play.

Today, We Are:

• Dedicated to fundraising for Nationwide Children’s Hospital through a variety of events (Sera Bella, SPAGIO’s “A Celebration of Wine, Food and Dining with the Stars”, and a professional theatre production (you may have seen one of the recent plays we produced at the Palace Theatre – “Sound of Music”, “HONK!”, or “The Wizard of OZ” – 2007 marked a celebration of 50 years of performances!);

• Focused on volunteering as the only auxilians to have direct patient contact through the circulation of our library cart, and

• Committed to teaching preschoolers about basic safety and injury prevention through our Safety Awareness For Everyone (SAFE) program.

Everyone is part of the fun and the results! All members are involved with two committees that focus on our fundraising and service projects. Some of us paint sets, while others work on the play program or secure publicity for our gala events! You may find your place on a committee that makes our hospital library cart process more effectively, or working on a spectacular fundraiser showcasing chefs from all over the country. We all meet once a month to stay current and brainstorm new ideas. In your second and third years, there are opportunities for additional responsibilities as committee chairs or board members.

We have a variety of talents and available time. Our target group size is 60 – 80 members. You will find members who work inside and outside the home, are single or married, members with and without children - collectively working and havng fun. Our women are from neighborhoods all around Columbus. Our collective skills include marketing, theatre performance and production, computers, communication, human resource management, project management, graphic design and countless others. In general, we like people, we want to help kids and we want to “give back” to the Central Ohio community. Pleasure Guild provides exactly the kind of experience you make of it. For some, it’s a second “job”. For others, it’s entails a few hours a month. Any way you want to approach it, you are making new friends by working and contributing with women who challenge your thinking and applaud your accomplishments. At the end of your commitment, you are a proud contributor to Nationwide Children’s Hospital who has advanced her own personal competency and had fun doing it!

Join us in making a difference. Pleasure Guild has raised over $3 million for the children of Nationwide Children’s Hospital through the years, and recently has directed its funds to the Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care Program. Last year, we raised over $255,000. That’s a huge impact for a group of our size. Please consider joining the other amazing women in this group for an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children in need, and in your own life. We welcome the opportunity for you to meet us and to explore whether membership is right for you!