One crisp October day in 1887, Lois Whitney, a member of the Rochester City Hospital’s Board of Managers, invited four friends to lunch. After luncheon, she drew from her sewing basket some hospital table napkins which needed hemming. Her friends offered to help, and they spent the afternoon chatting and sewing. Two weeks later, the group expanded to include 8 friends who enjoyed meeting together while they accomplished a worthwhile project for the hospital. The new circle of friends decided that they were not really big enough to be called a branch of anything, so they humorously called themselves a ‘twig.’ Just one and an half years after the first luncheon meeting, Lois Whitney died, but before her death she said to a friend, “Do not loose sight of the Twigs, for they may grow to be a power for good.”

 

By the 1890’s, other Twigs had formed in Rochester. The Twigs met in members’ homes on alternate Fridays for lunch and a pleasant afternoon of conversation while the ladies sewed sheets, pillowcases, towels, washcloths, and nightshirts. The tradition of sewing provided thousands of needed items and was well established before individual Twigs became involved in additional hospital projects.

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Meanwhile, in Ohio a sewing circle in Cincinnati and another in Columbus were making sheets and blankets for a Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Eventually, the Cincinnati circle suggested to their Columbus friends that they should consider establishing their own hospital for children. In this way the idea of a Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio took root in the minds of the women and girls of the King’s Daughters of St. Paul Episcopal Church In May, 1890 this all female organization gave a tea and fair at the East Town Street home of Mrs. James Kilbourne. They made a profit of $125 which they placed in a bank account as the nucleus of the necessary funds to establish a hospital for children.

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The goal of the King’s Daughters was to set up a facility that would care for all sick children regardless of their race, creed, or ability to pay. That purpose may sound a bit self-serving today, but it is important to remember that in the 1890’s the children of the wealthy were very successfully treated by doctors in their parent’s clean and airy homes; the women were not anticipating sending their own children to the hospital. This facility was to be a charity hospital.

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In 1891, there was a meeting of men and women at which serious consideration was given to the possibility of a children’s hospital. The matter was well received. The following year, articles of incorporation were filed and a lot at the corner of Miller and Fair (today Franklin Park South) Avenues was bought.The erection of the hospital was begun later that year.

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The nine-bed hospital opened it’s doors on February 1,1894. Financial backing was strong. Six of the nine beds were at once permanently endowed, life and annual

 

memberships were sold and in 1900 the Columbus Lodge of Elks contributed enough money for a needed addition to the building.

 

The work of the hospital continued to expand. A 1916 campaign to raise $300,000 for a new building yielded over $155,000, plus a generous bequest, and gift of land at today’s Livingston Park. Under the direction of Mrs. Truitt Sellers, the Women’s Board continued to manage the hospital. At this time the hospital had 50 beds and an annual budget of $10,000 that was not adequate to meet the increasing expenses. A solution needed to be found.​​

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And there was a powerful solution to be found. Miss Mary Allen and her mother, Mrs. Frederick P. Allen visited Columbus in 1916 . Mrs. Allen, a resident of Rochester, New York, met Mrs. Sellers and shared with her the wonderful work of the Rochester women on behalf of their children’s hospital. Mrs. Sellers was impressed, especially with Rochester’s Twig organization

 

To rectify the Columbus hospital’s annual financial shortfall the enthusiastic Mrs. Sellers called together a group of 42 women who had been active in the original campaign to start Children’s Hospital. Once assembled on April 4, 1916, Mrs. Seilers presented to the ladies her plan by having Mrs. Allen address the assembled group, explaining the Rochester model. The magnetic Mrs. Sellers was successful. The women agreed to form 15 Twigs, making the Columbus Twig organization the second oldest in the nation. “ Daisy “ Sellers was elected General Chairwoman of the Twigs, a position she held for over 25 years.

It is written that Mrs. Seilers as well as Mrs. Kilbourne both became charter members of our Twig which, we believe, started as Twig 1 . However, when the nurses decided that they wanted to have their own Twig, evidently our Twig 1 turned over to them our number and assumed the designation Twig 2. The original 42 women were true their promise, in 1916 over 20 Twigs were established.

Since Children’s Hospital needed supplies, each Twig ,as it was formed, agreed to provide a specific item. Twig 2 agreed to provide operating towels. In the first year our members made and delivered 194 towels. In 1920, we made 318 surgical towels. Once our towels were no longer used for surgery, members made them for sale to the public and spent meeting time diligently hemming together as Twig business was conducted

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Parts of the Rules and Regulations that governed the Twigs in 1916 are still followed . Each member still pays annual dues, each group elects its own chairman and has monthly meetings; there still is an Annual Meeting for all Twigs and projects are coordinated by the Twig Executive Board.

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Some of the all-Twig projects that date back to the early years include:

 

In 1919 , Twigs held their first big fund-raising project. Called “The Bazaar of Nations” it was a carnival held at Memorial Hall. It raised $6,000. No doubt our Twig participated heavily in this initial fundraiser.

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The first Thrift Shop was opened in October, 1920 at 25 South Fourth Street. The first year profits were $5,800. April became the month of choice for Twig 2 to volunteer and the Fourth St location was our preference. Our volunteering continued there until 1990 when the Thrift shops closed.

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The origins of the Twig Bazaar started in 1922 when Twig members were asked to donate handmade items to be sold. Twig 2 sewed and knitted children’s clothing for sale and later we added hand-made items and antiques. At its peak, the Bazaar raised a million dollars per sale for the hospital, our part of that is recorded annually in our minutes.

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At one time. Twig 2 painted birdhouses for sale at the bazaar. Recently, associate member Celeste Williams wrote me the following recollection:

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“One of my sweet memories of Twig is of our ‘painting crew’. My mother-in-law, Velma Williams and I met on the porch of Tibbi Johnson's house with a grouping of generations like Liz Johnson Taylor, Pat Howland and Anne Howland Meyers, Jane Tice and Patty Tice Offenberg, Lucy Porter and her daughters and daughter-in-law all painting away together on those darling little birdhouses. It was a very sweet

opportunity, as we worked together, telling stories and weaving our old and new lives together. And all the while, having Children's Hospital in our thoughts. “
Her memory sounds a great deal like the early Twig meetings in Rochester and Columbus, doesn’t it?

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An interesting difference between today’s Twig 2 membership and these earlier generations is the length of active service. Until relatively recently, active Twig membership was a lifetime of almost daily devotion to Twig 2 projects rather than the shorter span of active years and very focused projects of today. These earlier generations truly devoted decades of their lives to Twig 2.

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Some of our Twig 2 only projects that received devoted efforts have been the following: The design and sale of Christmas cards was a successful project for many years. Magazine subscriptions and “Social Capers” calendars were very popular sale items each fall as was the sale of salt to melt ice off sidewalks. Since Twig 2 stopped participating in the Twig Bazaar we have had “treasure sales” in about every format imaginable. Plus we normally undertake a fund-raising project at the June luncheon with Twig 3, By the way, our minutes show the tradition of a joint luncheon with Twig 3 began in 1933.

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Our Twig Cocktail party in the lovely homes of member started in the late 1980’s and in its current form remains our signature event.

Our most recent endeavor is the design and sale of a piece of jewelry representing Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

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As you are aware, each year, the Twig organization recognizes annually the particular Twigs that have raised the most money for the hospital Twig 2 ’s history demonstratesthatwearealwaysverycompetitiveinthisarea. Ourrecordsarefilled with certificates of achievement in recognition that we are at the top or very near the top of the recognized Twigs. In our first century of existence. Twig 2 has contributed over a million dollars to Children’s Hospital

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The Twigs have served the hospital very well in another important area. It is most easily seen in the 1940’s when it became clear to the Board of Trustees and the Women’s Board that the hospital needed to shed its for” charity only” role and attract a paying clientele as well. By this time, medicine had made advances that could be provided more effectively in a hospital than at a home. The leadership felt that it would be to the benefit of the hospital and patients if the community accepted the fact that Children’s Hospital was the best place for sick children of all economic backgrounds. To accomplish this change, they turned to their powerful Twig organization, encouraging twig families to utilize the hospital for their children. The success of drawing the “carriage trade” in their door as patients was a great benefit to the hospital and was achieved due to the leadership of the Twig women.

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Twig 2 has long followed the practice to admitting mothers and daughters and daughters-in-law to membership. Here are examples of that tradition that I have been able to discover.

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Twig 2 has two members that traces her family membership back to the charter year. Lucinda Sweeney is a fourth generation member. Lucinda’s great grandmother was Mrs. Charles R. Shields , a charter member. Her daughter, Mrs. Philip Bradford was also a long-time Twig 2 member. In addition, Helen Bradford succeeded Daisy Sellers as Women’s Board President and became a member of the Board of Trustees. For twenty years Mrs. Bradford was the guiding light for the Twig organization. Her daughter-in-law, Libby Bradford was a member and now Lucinda is an associate member.

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Mrs. Henry C. Taylor not only served as secretary to the original Women’s Board of Children’s Hospital but she also was a charter member Twig 2. Her two daughters-in laws, Barbara Taylor and Joan Taylor, are associate members.

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AnotherveryearlymemberwasDorthySmithCopeland Herdaughterin-lawis associate member Lennie Copeland and the third generation is associate member Linda Copeland Burns. Linda’s great-uncle was a well-known Columbus leader who was chairman of the Children’s Hospital Board in 1916 when the Twigs were begun. Today Linda’s daughter works at Children’s Hospital in the oncology division.

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Liz Johnson Taylor is an associate member and her mother, Tibbi Sterner Johnson, was a member and before that Liz’ grandmother, Mrs. Howard Sterner, was an member.of Twig 2. in the 1920’s.

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Velma William’s mother, Velma Sater, and her aunt, Martha Walker, were long­ time Twig 2 members. Today, both Velma and her daughter-in-law Celeste Williams are associate members.

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Mrs. John Stoddart was an early member of Twig 2, followed by her daughter Jeanne Stoddart Barends who brought in her daughter-in-law, Lisa Darke, the active member who designed the beautify silver butterfly.

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Jane Tice was a member and her daughter. Patty Tice Offenberg followed as did Patty’s daughter, Beth Offenberg Sauer. Both Patty and Beth are associate members.

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Rebecca Fulford was an early Twig member, followed by her daughter-in-law, Joan Fulford. Then came Joan Fulford’s two daughters-in-law; Laurie and Leslie Fulford. Leslie is an active member today.

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According to newspaper accounts, my grandmother Emma Thomas was at the meeting called by Mrs. Sellers in 1916 but she must have made the mistake of forming one of the other Twigs for her name is not on the roles of Twig 2 . Her daughter, Kathryn Thomas Stallman, who is my aunt, did join Twig 2 as a young married woman and then my mother, Virginia Tice Thomas became a member. Today, my daughter-in-law, Jennifer Wood, is an active member of our Twig​​

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We cannot close the history of Twig 2 without recognizing active member Sara Wolfe Perrini and her mother, Ann Isaly Wolfe. Ann is not only an associate member of our Twig, but went on to chair both The Children’s Hospital Foundation and then the Board of Trustees of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Under her leadership the hospital experienced extraordinary growth and fantastic fund-raising success.

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Another interesting tidbit of history relates back to the mother and daughter from Rochester who shared the wonderful work of the Twigs with Daisy Sellers and sparked the founding of Twigs here in Columbus. Well, that Miss Mary Allen from Rochester eventually married Robert H. Jeffrey and became a member of Twig 2. Associate member Lynne Jeffrey is a part of that large Jeffrey family.

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One hundred years after its start, Twig 2 continues it’s legacy of being a dedicated group of women meeting and working together for the benefit of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. As predicted in the 1880’s and as demonstrated by Twig 2, Twigs can be a power for good.

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This speech by Carolyn Thomas Christy, an Associate Member of Twig 2, was delivered at the centennial celebration luncheon of Twig 2 on Tuesday, April 5, 20016 at Rocky Fork Hut and Country Club.

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