BHFH Celebrates Alumni, and Alumni Celebrate BHFH!
By Hugh Gelch, Clerk, BHFH Development Committee
Photos taken by BHFH alumnus Robin Streichler
July 2, 2016 was a joyous day at Beacon Hill Friends House! At 3 pm, 12 recent and1990s alumni from across the country were joined by Board and Corporation members, staff and residents for an afternoon of activities followed by a community dinner. Our furthest traveller was Robin Streichler, (actually an alumna from the end of the ‘80s) who came from Los Angeles!
Twenty-two people attended in total, which made for a perfect opportunity to share with one another. The afternoon began with Make Way for Quakers!, a walking tour of Quaker History in Boston created by the Independent Quaker Worship Group of Greater Boston (you can download the walking tour guide at https://sites.google.com/site/quakerboston/). The story of Quaker courage in the face of religious persecution was a powerful message that came to life just steps away from Beacon Hill Friends House. Upon return, resident Will Harlan led tours of our wonderful home, and Cheryl Mitchell, mother of ‘90s alumna Anaïs Mitchell, put together a collage of photographs from the ‘90s at BHFH for all to peruse. The memories and happy spirit of that time at BHFH came flooding back! Our day culminated in a delicious al fresco dinner on our backyard deck, which our talented BHFH friend Susan Smiley coordinated for us. Alumni talked about what attracted them to BHFH and their memories of resident life. Current residents, staff, Board and Corporation members spoke about BHFH today. And then we all spoke about what Beacon Hill Friends House means to us now!
A heartfelt thank you to alumni Elizabeth Bennet, Laurie Johnston, Ben and Rachel Lawent, Matthew Martin, Anaïs Mitchell, Bill and Carol Mitchell, Cliff Putney, Jared Rubenstein, and Robin Streichler for your enthusiastic presence and community!
This was our first attempt
at getting alumni back to Beacon Hill Friends House, and it was such a special, bonding experience that we plan to have more of these events. Keep your eyes out for notices and invitations – we would love you to join the fun!
