The BCW Tree House 2025 Fall Fundraiser Was A Mad For Plaid, Scottish-Themed Success!
By Abby Sprague
On November 21st, BCW Tree House held its annual fall fundraiser at the stunning historic Bronxville home of Laura and Brian Frerer-Schmidt. The event’s St. Andrew’s Day Scottish theme, Mad For Plaid, brought an unmistakable festive spirit to the evening—one that helped raise over $50,000 to support children and families grieving the loss of a parent or sibling. The night kicked off with guests approaching the grand stone porte-cochère to the call of live bagpipes at the Frerer-Schmidt’s 1891 hilltop residence, affectionately known as The Grey Arches.
BCW Tree House board chair Wendy Halley opened the festivities by extending heartfelt thanks to the generous community that brings the organization’s mission to life. She proudly welcomed the newly appointed board members—Laura Frerer-Schmidt, Lori Deutsch, Maureen Stapleton, Jill Bethea, and most recently Heather Lamberton and Meghann Paisley.
The highlight of the evening was honoring former board chair MK O’Shaughnessy with the third annual Tom Welling Award for her extraordinary leadership and unwavering dedication to BCW Tree House over eight years. Her former co-Chair and last year’s Welling Award winner, Betsy Putnam, presented the award and gave a heartfelt tribute to MK’s deep commitment to the Tree House. Next, auctioneer par excellence, Dave O’Shaughnessy rallied the crowd with three exclusive golf outings that spirited bidding wars, and other auction treasures—including Ragtime tickets from Grab Your Group And Go, an indulgent dinner at La Casa Bronxville, and VIP seats at The Daily Show.
Mad For Plaid was a wonderful success highlighting the generosity, strength and warmth of the BCW Tree House community!
