Tickets on sale for Sugar Plum Tour of Holiday Homes
THIS IS A PAST EVENT
Some of the area's finest historic and contemporary homes will open their doors in December for the Sugar Plum Tour of Holiday Homes. Tickets are on sale now for this annual holiday event, which includes both live and virtual tours of exquisitely decorated homes throughout Greater Akron.
The Sugar Plum Tour is Akron's premier holiday home tour and the signature fundraiser of the Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation. Since 2002, thousands of tourgoers have experienced the twinkling lights, roaring fires, sparkling trees and dazzling holiday decorations of homes nestled in neighborhoods throughout Greater Akron.
Last year's Sugar Plum Tour raised a record of more than $200,000 for the fund, which supports programs that advance a lived equality for all LGBTQ+ people in Greater Akron. Recent grants have expanded outreach efforts to aging LGBTQ+ adults, provided gender-affirming health care services for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults, and supported inclusivity training seminars for small-business owners. View a full list of recent grants at www.akroncf.org/GCEFgrants.
This year's live tour will feature five spectacular homes on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 1 to 5 p.m., while the virtual tour will feature professionally filmed tours of eight homes during the weekend of Dec. 10-11.
Among the homes showcased on this year's tour are a 1948 Georgian colonial with original oak floors and a finished basement featuring a bar and home theater in West Akron; a 1967 ranch-style home renovated to an open floor plan and impeccably decorated on the eastern edge of Fairlawn; a 1953 mid-century modern home in West Akron with wide floor-to-ceiling windows that provide light and warmth to the space year-round; a 1926 Cotswold Tudor in the heart of Fairlawn Heights with arches throughout and a beautifully renovated kitchen; and a 1922 Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired bungalow with original hardwood floors and distinctive Craftsman nooks, built-ins and charm in Highland Square.
General admission tickets are $35 each for the live or virtual tours, or $60 for both, and can be purchased at www.sugarplumtour.org. Guests who purchase tickets before Nov. 1 will receive a special early bird discount.
Live tour tickets may also be purchased on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Angel Falls Coffee Company, 792 W. Market St. in Akron. Printed tour guides will be available for pickup at Angel Falls, and a mobile-friendly digital tour guide with maps of the home locations will be available to all tourgoers. For more details, visit www.sugarplumtour.org/tickets.
Following the live tour, sponsors will be invited to a private patrons-only party at an exclusive location that will be announced later. Sponsorships begin at $500 and include tickets to both the live and virtual tours, admission to the private Patron Party, a commemorative holiday ornament, and many other benefits. Sponsorships must be received by Nov. 1 to be included in promotional materials.
The 2022 Sugar Plum Tour is presented by Raymond Dental Group – Dr. Kate Raymond and Michelle Krocker. This year's tour homes are sponsored by Akron Children's Hospital; Fran Bittle; Gregory Hail and Matthew Culler; Jones Group Interiors Charitable Fund; and The Read Family. All proceeds from the event benefit the Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation.
About the Gay Community Endowment Fund
Founded in 2001, the Gay Community Endowment Fund is a permanent philanthropic endowment of Akron Community Foundation. The fund advances a lived equality for all LGBTQ+ people in Greater Akron by investing in strategic and responsive grantmaking that empowers the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Since its inception, the fund has grown to nearly $2 million while reinvesting more than $690,000 into the community. Contributions of any amount are welcome and support future grantmaking. Checks should be sent to Akron Community Foundation, 345 W. Cedar St., Akron, OH 44307, with Gay Community Endowment Fund in the memo line. Donations may also be designated for the GCEF Scholarship Fund. For more information, or to contribute, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.gaycommunityfund.org/.
About Akron Community Foundation
Celebrating 67 years of building community philanthropy, Akron Community Foundation embraces and enhances the work of charitable people who make a permanent commitment to the good of the community. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. It is a philanthropic endowment of nearly $260 million with a growing family of more than 800 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation's funds have awarded nearly $209 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit www.akroncf.org.