Variety – The Children's Charity was established on October 10, 1927. On this day, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a group of eleven men, all close friends, decided to organize a social club where they could relax after work. For this purpose, a small room was rented in the William Penn Hotel. A decision to call the organization "The Variety Club" was appropriately made since the Club drew its originating members from show business.
There was no thought of soliciting more members. There were no lofty objectives or commitments to an ideal. The cogent force for the Club’s existence was "friendship."
Had it not been for the intervention of fate on Christmas Eve of 1929, Variety might not exist today. A one-month-old baby was abandoned that day and left of a seat in the Sheridan Square Theatre with a note pinned to her dress. The note read:
Please take care of my baby. Her name is Catherine. I can no longer take care of her. I have eight others. My husband is out of work. She was born on Thanksgiving Day. I have always heard of the goodness of show business people and I pray to God that you will look out for her.
When all efforts by the police and local newspapers failed to locate the parents, the Club members including the theatre owner, John H. Harris, who subsequently became Variety Clubs International's first president, decided as a group to act as eleven "godfathers" and to underwrite the infant’s support and education.
The child was named Catherine Variety Sheridan, her middle name for the Club and her last name for the theatre. The "godfathers" found a new interest in life and were proud that a distraught mother had entrusted her child to show people. The ensuing publicity put the Variety Club of Pittsburgh on the front pages of newspapers across the nation. Other men in the business wanted to help – they asked if they could join, and soon the Clubroom was too small.
Before long, Catherine had too much clothing, layettes and toys – more, of course, than any one child could possibly use and, thus, other children in need became the beneficiaries of Catherine’s "adoption." In truth, it was the welfare of this one child that became the inspiration and motivation for people in show business to band together to help children everywhere who are underprivileged or have special needs.
Today, Variety – The Children’s Charity is 100% donor funded with thousands of dedicated volunteers. Variety has grown to 43 organizations around the world and has raised over $1.5 billion over the past 80 years. Variety – The Children's Charity of BC was established in 1965 and has raised over $155 million abiding by its mission of together, raising funds and distributing grants throughout British Columbia to inspire hope, enrich lives and build a better future for children who have special needs.
