Friendship, faith, service at heart of St. Augustine Home fundraiser on May 6
Members of the St. Augustine Home Guild planning group pause to celebrate a birthday during a monthly gathering as they prepare for the annual Hats Off to Spring fundraiser, benefiting the Little Sisters of the Poor at St. Augustine Home in Indianapolis. Pictured are: Angie Bagnoli, left, Joanne Dyer, Patricia Damler, Linda Rambicure, Sherry Porter, and Debbie Kukla. (Photo courtesy of St. Augustine Home Guild)
By Mary Short (Special to The Criterion)
In a world that often moves too quickly for deep connection, a group of women in Indianapolis offers a powerful witness to what can happen when friendship is rooted in faith and expressed through service. For more than a decade, their commitment to one another—and to the mission of the Little Sisters of the Poor at the St. Augustine Home for the Aged in Indianapolis—has quietly transformed not only an annual fundraiser, but also their own lives.
In 2014, Linda Rambicure and Dottie Eveleigh brought together a group of women with a shared purpose: to strengthen the St. Augustine Home Guild’s signature fundraiser, Hats Off to Spring (HOTS). What began as a simple effort—to encourage participation, invite new members, inspire ideas and develop fundraising strategies—soon became something much more enduring.
Over the years, that initial gathering grew into a dedicated core group: Linda Rambicure, Dottie Eveleigh, Angie Bagnoli, Sue Bailey, Deborah Simmons, Sandra Farr, Joanne Dyer, Sherry Porter, and Patricia Damler.
Month after month, year after year, they have met, planned, collaborated and prayed—providing the foundation that sustains HOTS. Beyond logistics, their story is one of intentional faith, lived in community.
Sue Bailey describes the group as “can-do” women, each bringing unique experiences—from business and finance to community leadership and the wisdom gained through life itself. Yet what stands out most is not simply what each woman contributes, but how they do it together.
“It has been a learning experience to listen and watch each member bring her talents as we discuss ideas and plan the annual HOTS fundraiser,” says Bailey. “It has demonstrated to me how each person has her part, and all parts are needed and necessary for success.”
Eveleigh adds, “While our group contributes to the success of the event, there are many St. Augustine Home Guild members who give their time and talent” to the Hats off to Spring event.
Their words echo St. Paul’s image of the body of Christ: many parts, each essential, working together as one. In this group, that teaching is not abstract—it is lived. Each woman’s gifts are offered freely, received gratefully and woven into something greater than any one person could accomplish alone.
That spirit of shared purpose is grounded in a deep desire to live the Gospel well. Rambicure reflects on how their work has been shaped by faith from the beginning.
“The Gospel encourages us to use our talents and skills to help others,” she says. “Together our group used our individual skills to improve processes and fundraising. We were guided in many ways by our faith and desire to help the elderly residents [of St. Augustine Home] and the ‘walking saints,’ the Little Sisters.”
Their service is not simply about organizing an event—it is about responding to a call. It is about seeing Christ in the residents of St. Augustine Home and in the Little Sisters who care for them, and then asking, “What more can we do?”
For group member Angie Bagnoli, that call has taken on a joyful persistence. Each year, as the fundraiser concludes and the group looks ahead, a familiar pattern unfolds.
“After the last HOTS is over, somebody says, ‘I’ll do the invitations next year,’ and then I say, ‘I’ll do patrons,’ ” she explains with a smile. “Then everyone else says, ‘Well, I guess you can count me in for another year’—sometimes after they’ve said this was their last year.”
Her humor carries a deeper truth: commitment born of love rarely follows a strict timeline.
“I have been very blessed to be associated with the Little Sisters of the Poor,” Bagnoli adds. “They don’t ever retire—and neither will I.”
While their work has strengthened HOTS, it is their relationships that have sustained the nine women. What began as monthly planning lunches gradually became something more meaningful—a space where faith and friendship could grow side by side.
“There’s always time to talk about personal things too,” Bailey notes, “as we get to know each other on a more intimate level.”
Over time, those conversations deepened into shared prayer and mutual support. Rambicure recalls how the group began lifting up one another’s families in times of illness and need. When her husband passed away, the women surrounded her with compassion and care.
“They were very supportive of me,” she says simply.
Bagnoli reflects on the many seasons they have walked through together—times of loss and challenge, as well as moments of celebration.
“During all those years, our group has all faced challenges—family illness and deaths, as well as happy times,” she says. “It is good to know that everyone faces the same struggles at some point, and we are always there for each other. Working for such a worthy cause helps us keep going even during difficult times.”
In these moments, their witness becomes especially clear. This is what it means to be intentional in faith: to show up not only for a mission, but for one another. This is what it means to be the body of Christ: to carry each other’s burdens and to rejoice together. This is what it means to live the Gospel well: to love in action, consistently and generously.
As another spring approaches, this group continues its work, now supporting the 2026 HOTS co-chairs Mary Coyle and Mary Patout. Their legacy is not only in the success of the fundraiser, but the spirit they have cultivated—one of collaboration, generosity and enduring friendship.
The community is invited to be part of that spirit at the Hats Off to Spring Luncheon and Fashion Show on May 6, benefiting the residents served by the Little Sisters of the Poor at St. Augustine Home. (See details below.) This year’s theme, “Companions on Our Journey,” reflects the story of these women and the mission they support.
The impact of HOTS is tangible. Thanks to last year’s supporters, more than $135,000 was raised, enabling the guild to purchase a 14-passenger accessible bus to transport St. Augustine Home residents. This year, the goal is to complete the Home’s transportation needs by funding a smaller mobility-accessible vehicle. Any additional funds raised will support the ongoing needs of the Home.
Beyond the details of the day, the event offers something deeper: an invitation to join in a mission of love and service. It is an opportunity to support the dignity and care of the elderly poor, to stand with the Little Sisters in their vocation and to become part of a community shaped by faith.
This story reminds us that the Gospel is most powerfully proclaimed not in words alone, but in lives lived with intention. Through shared purpose, steadfast friendship and generous service, the group of nine women has shown what is possible when we say “yes” to God—and to one another.
(Mary Short is communications director for the St. Augustine Home Guild. The Hats Off to Spring Luncheon and Fashion Show will be held at the Ritz Charles, 12156 N. Meridian St., in Carmel, Ind., on May 6. The event begins at 10 a.m. with a champagne reception, shopping, a luncheon at noon, followed by a fashion show featuring items from J. McLaughlin clothing store in Indianapolis. The show will highlight a mother-daughter theme, with pairs from the Guild and the St. Augustine Home staff. The cost is $65, and the registration deadline is April 24. To request an invitation, call 317-294-1955 or go to tinyurl.com/HOTS26.) †
