by Linda Wendler, photos by John Sadowsky & Alan Newman

A capacity crowd in the Humanist Community Center enjoyed an early celebration of the Winter Solstice on Sunday, December 18, with a delectable potluck buffet, good fellowship and open checkbooks.

The first order of business was the buffet, which showcased the diverse culinary efforts of the attendees from appetizers through holiday desserts.

Shelley Newman presented the annual Helen Goldsmith awards for 2011. The first went to Susan Grunbaum in recognition of her contributions including but not limited to selecting the many elements of interior décor to complete HCC as well as volunteering to coordinate the Sunday morning pre-meeting breakfasts.
Al Wendler also received the Helen Goldsmith award for his efforts in completing the construction of HCC and for serving as HSGP's first-ever property manager.

Outgoing President Shelley Newman introduced the officers and board for next year and presented each with a candy bar appropriate to their new office: A Milky Way to incoming President Richard Dewey in recognition of his new role as the principal star of the HSGP galaxy; an Oh Henry! bar to Henry Geist, foretelling the many calls he will get as VP when the president needs to delegate; a Mounds bar to describe the amount of paperwork secretary Kathy Pettycrew will be shuffling; a 100 Grand candy bar to treasurer John Sadowsky to signify the goal for the HSGP endowment; a box of Good and Plenty to program chair Mary McPherson as a reminder of the speaker requirements and 3 Musketeers bars to the incoming board members-at-large to indicate the all-for-one, one-for-all nature of their positions. After the presentations, the new board affirmed their dedication to the goals of HSGP and were duly installed.

Every half hour, door prizes were drawn and later in the afternoon, raffle winners were announced. One lucky guest, the mother of member Rebecca Beltran, received two prizes and another, Kevin, won the copy of John Compere’s book that he had intended to purchase.

One of the guests, Spencer, had attended the film discussion the previous week and had met “so many nice people” that he decided to join us for this celebration. Let’s hope that he and our other guests keep coming back to HSGP events.

Rebecca made a brief presentation in the Robert G. Ingersoll library on the origin of our holidays. Several attendees later commented on how much they enjoyed her talk.

During the afternoon the cashiers processed a steady stream of sales from the marketplace and the tag sale of wish-list items. By the end of the day, the fundraising goal of $10,000 was met thanks to the generosity of our members.

This Solstice celebration was the most successful ever in bringing together Humanists for good conversation and, of course, good food. This would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the large team of volunteers that made the event possible. A big thank you to everyone involved.

Well, how about a free breakfast, instead?

Starting with our September 11th meeting, if your membership is current, your breakfast is free! An anonymous donor has agreed to buy breakfast for all HSGP MEMBERS at our regular meetings for one year. Members who attend even half the meetings will save more on breakfast then the cost of annual membership.

The HSGP board of directors is very grateful for this generous gift, and is confident that this added benefit will increase our membership.

Breakfast is still offered to guests and can be purchased at the welcome desk by the entrance door. Of course, donations are always gratefully accepted even if your breakfast is free.

How will we know you are a current member eligible for the free breakfast and other member benefits? You will wear a preprinted member nametag. When arriving at a meeting, please pick up your nametag at the welcome desk, and let us know if you plan to eat breakfast. The nametags will also easily identify members for the library checkout privileges, and membership voting at meetings.

Wear your membership nametag proudly!

No nametag...no free food. Also, please remember to drop off your nametag when you leave.

For your convenience, the membership desk is immediately behind the welcome desk for both joining, and renewing membership in HSGP.

Chapter Profile: Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix

Formed in 1970, the Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix has come a long way. Starting as a small group of like-minded people meeting for breakfast and discussion, the group has expanded to over 200 members in an addition to a community center. The community center, the first one owned by a humanist group in the country, opened in December 2010 with a Winter Solstice party, where they raised money through live and silent auctions. What the HSGP shows is that not only can a small grassroots organization grow into something much more visible with the right amount of passion and hard work, it shows us that indeed the greater humanist movement is gaining momentum.

I spoke with HSGP’s new president, Shelley Newman, who took over the reins from Susan Sackett (also an AHA board member) after a decade of leadership.

HNN: How long has the group been in existence? How did it form?

Newman: The group was formed in 1970 to fill a need for a non-theistic alternative for Sunday mornings. It began with a handful of people who met in a downtown Phoenix coffee shop for breakfast. By the 1990s, the group had moved to several different venues, eventually settling into the (now defunct) Safari Hotel in Scottsdale. By then, the group had grown to about 25 members. As HSGP continued to expand, we moved from venue to venue, each time outgrowing our meeting rooms.

HNN: What kind of programs do you offer to members?

Newman: HSGP is an educational organization rooted in the values of Humanism. Our centerpiece is the Speaker’s Program providing twice monthly expert talks on topics in the arts and sciences. This is a no-fees program open to the public as well as our members. The HSGP Book Club began in 2004, meets monthly, and continues to grow in number of participants. Now that we have moved into our own building, members have begun discussion groups – one focuses on a topic chosen by the group, and the other on films. There are plans to re-ignite and add to our Humanism curriculum as an opportunity to educate members and others about the history and values of Humanism, and reinforce our own understanding.

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