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Floral masterpieces take shape at benefit for female students

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By Bill Schmidt, Contributing Writer 4:03 PM Thursday, November 12, 2009

It’s now well into the fall season and any flowers you proudly grew last summer are all long gone. But if you love flowers, members of the Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club have a suggestion.

The club’s sixth annual Floral Fantasy is Nov. 19, and you’ll be able to watch floral masterpieces be created right before your eyes.

Three floral designers — one each from The Flower Shop, Furst Florist and Hills and Dales Florist — will create “six beautiful and unique floral pieces” that will ultimately serve as 18 door prizes.

The event will be at Parkview Church of the Nazarene, 4701 Far Hills Ave., in Kettering. The doors open at 6:15 p.m. The program begins at 7 p.m. and ends no later than 9:30 p.m.

Dayton’s Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club is raising funds for a $6,000 endowment for female students at the University of Dayton, according to Martha Boice, a long time chapter member.

Local residents Rae Ann Herman of Miamisburg and Maggie Jones of Miami Twp. are active in the fraternity and heavily involved in making this year’s Floral Fantasy a success.

“We’ve had a lot of new people expressing an interest in it,” Herman said. That includes new items for the silent auction and the raffle.

Herman said the floral arrangements produced are stunning.

“There is no skimping,” she said.

This year’s event was scheduled later this year to avoid conflicts with other events.

“People wanted to go to both things and had to make a choice,” Herman said.

The three floral shops that make the live arrangements will work from a stage area where the view is better and where large video monitors will add an aerial view of their work.

Adele Good, member and past-president of the Garden Club of Dayton, provides commentary.

“That’s where Adele comes in,” Herman said. “She knows the names of the flowers.”

The refreshments are another reason to come to the event. Maggie Jones, who is heading up the refreshments this year, said she’ll probably be baking pecan tarts. All members of the fraternity add their own items.

Both Herman and Jones joined the fraternity while in college, and both credit friends as pointing them in the right direction. Years later, some friendships remain and new ones have formed.

Pi Beta Phi is a service fraternity that encourages “young women to develop meaningful relationships as they reach for their personal goals.” The Iota chapter at the University of Dayton was formed in 1989.

“Now we’re trying to help the young college students,” Jones said.

Tickets are $15.

“You can’t beat it for $15,” Herman said. “It’s got a lot of bang for the buck.”

Other members of the fraternity assisting with the event are: Adele Good, Heidi Azaloff, Lois Ross and Marty Eberling (Oakwood); Michele Chumlea (Enon); Karen Evans (Beavercreek); Carolyn Young and Martha Boice (Centerville); Cathy Hackett and Maria DiLoretta (Vandalia); Angie Mahoney (Springboro); and Zebbie Borland and Carol Dickerson (Kettering).

Contact this columnist at (937) 696-2080 or williamgschmidt@

verizon.net.

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The Floral Fantasy will be Nov. 19 at Parkview Church of the Nazarene, 4701 Far Hills Ave. in Kettering. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. The program begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and include hors d’oeuvres. To reserve tickets, call Carolyn Young at (937) 433-8447.

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