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Health & Fitness

Near & Far Aid to Host Designer House Tour

All proceeds from the Designer House Tour will go to agencies and organizations fighting poverty in Fairfield County.

Long-time philanthropic organization Near & Far Aid’s Designer House Tour has been a destination to patrons from Fairfield County and beyond for over 35 years. The house tour will once again usher in spring and will take place on Friday, May 3rd. The day will commence with a Designer Breakfast at the Patterson Club in Fairfield, which will feature renowned California-based designer Mary McDonald, one of today’s most sought after designers who has been consistently ranked one of House Beautiful “Top 100 Designers.” Tickets can be purchased at www.nearandfaraid.org.

The breakfast will be followed by the House Tour, which will showcase five homes in the area that have been designed by the country’s foremast visionary interior designers.

The 2013 Designer House Tour promises to once again delight visitors and celebrate the art of living – a tradition that spans decades and has long set apart Near & Far Aid as Fairfield County’s premier charitable organization. The inaugural house tour took place in 1977, and was an integral part of Near & Far Aid’s flagship fundraising event of that time, the Southport-Westport Antiques Show, which commenced in 1965.

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“To appreciate the value of anything, knowledge of its history is imperative,” wrote Olivia Dunn, Near & Far Aid’s historian, in the show’s catalogue. The success of the Antiques Show, considered one of the five top shows in the country, quickly contributed enormously to Near & Far Aid’s fund-granting ability, and the House Tour added a great deal to its weekend-long appeal as a “must see” event. The definitive theme to that first tour was the history of Southport as seen through the houses in and around this charming village. In subsequent years, this tour was expanded to include homes in Greenfield Hill section of Fairfield and Westport. Every house reflects the unique personality, taste and special interests of the owner whether it is a garden, a view or simply its ambiance, which elicits a particular sense of attraction to each visitor.

Near & Far Aid President Jeanne Burris of Westport noted “the success of this tremendous organization owes everything to a rich tradition of commitment to our community. We began at a kitchen table over 65 years ago, and to this day, remain an all volunteer organization; our way of ensuring that our fundraising efforts are able to have maximum impact on our granting pool each year. All our events, and our House Tour in particular, are dependent on the talents and generosity of dozens of talented men and women.”

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The 2013 House Tour will be no exception and promises a superabundance of diversity with five houses that range in size and style from large and modern to small and traditional.

Today, the Designer House Tour has evolved into one of the four successful events that Near & Far Aid holds annually with the help of hundreds of community volunteers. The organization has granted over $12 million to Fairfield County agencies helping to break the cycle of poverty.

The tour is scheduled for Friday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The pre-tour breakfast and presentation by the award-winning L.A. based interior designer Mary McDonald will be held at the Patterson Club, 1118 Cross Highway, Fairfield, from 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. McDonald’s style combines old-fashioned elegance with a modern sensibility resulting in a fearless, joyful exuberance. For ticket information, go to www.nearandfaraid.org

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