Ask a Covenant Guild member about their organization, and you’ll often get fond memories dating as far back as 1947.
“When I joined, the houses were new, and everyone that lived on our street, Price Avenue [in Northwest Baltimore], knew each other,” former guild president Shirley Flax Gambel recalls with a wistful smile. “This one girl said, ‘Would you all like to join Covenant Guild?’ On Monday night there was this exodus from Price Avenue, everybody, all the cars. The husbands knew they had to stay home, we all went to the Covenant meeting. It was like a given that you wanted to belong, they had such a wonderful reputation.”
Gambel and her daughter, Ellen Flax Gottfried, are among four mother-daughter duos to serve as presidents of the philanthropic nonprofit for women. “I just think that one of the reasons we’re still together is that our past presidents stay very active,” says Gottfried. “They’re not just out to pasture, they put their whole heart and soul into it.”
In fact, 28 of the organization’s roughly 250 women are life members. Members new and old will celebrate the guild’s 70th anniversary during the week of May 21 with luncheons, field trips, manicures and synagogue services.
“We’ve been planning this for over a year,” says guild president Lois Balser, who anticipates about 100-200 attendees for some of the events. Women have been saving money for the celebration in cardboard banks that read “Spectacular 70,” and some have saved more than $400, she says.
Fundraising comes naturally to these members. Since 2003, the guild has contributed an estimated $2 million to groups in Baltimore city and county through activities like calendar and greeting card sales, as well as tickets for their annual “Pot of Gold” event.
Each year, the current president passes philanthropic requests to four past presidents who work with a review committee to determine which five nonprofits will receive donations. The guild typically receives six to eight requests annually.
In recent years, the group has funded emergency motorbikes for the Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Company, a new ambulance for the Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company, and provided financial assistance to the Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training.
Balser believes this community dedication drives membership interest.
“I went to University [of Maryland Medical Center] last week, and they have a wall of contributors. Our name is there,” she says. “We went through the Cancer [Center] waiting room, and there’s a room with our name on it. There’s a place in Shock Trauma with our name on it. People see our name all around. … I think there’s this commitment that everyone has to doing good for the community. … We just know our money is doing good.”
Although women can join throughout the year, the guild hosts a wine-and-cheese party every August or September, followed by a free dinner to newcomers in October.
“When new members come in, we embrace them. We engage in conversation to make them feel comfortable [and] to show we’re really nice,” says former president Sydell Gould. “They get you involved right away.”
From bowling and Mahjong tournaments to stuffing weekend backpacks for students and playing Bingo with patients and families at Baltimore’s American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, there’s something for everyone. The guild women meet twice a month for one general and one board meeting at Temple Oheb Shalom in Park Heights.
Looking ahead to the guild’s eighth decade, Balser predicts even more community outreach and greater visibility for the group. She says they are constantly finding new charitable avenues.
Just last week, when she and Gould were visiting University of Maryland Medical Center to coordinate a tour for their anniversary celebration, Balser says she learned that premature babies needed caps. She has already recruited knitters from the guild.
“We’re not going anywhere,” vows Gambel.
For information about Covenant Guild, visit the group’s Facebook page.
Jolene Carr is a Baltimore-based freelance writer.
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