Shala Stevenson, center, and Bridget Patti, both of Lawrence, take in the Rev. Mick Mulvany's home, 3209 Harvard Road, during the third annual Holiday Homes Tour. The tour is a fundraiser for Health Care Access Clinic.

The centerpiece of Andrea Partee’s dining room table features a kinara, which holds seven black, green and red candles, and, perched in front of it, the traditional Kwanzaa Unity Cup.

This year is Partee’s first time celebrating Kwanzaa since she was a child, and her home was one of six Lawrence houses, as well as Plymouth Congregational Church, open to the public for Sunday’s Holiday Home Tour, benefiting the Health Care Access Clinic.

A PowerPoint presentation told Partee’s guests about Kwanzaa, and its values of unity, purpose and community seemed appropriate at an event that helps Douglas County’s medically uninsured.

“It’s really important to support organizations that support people,” Partee said. She was worried about the added stress of accommodating upwards of 300 guests during the busy holiday season, but she said her experience on Sunday was pleasant.

“It’s been a blessing to be able to share our home and the idea and philosophy of Kwanzaa,” she said.

Sally Zogry, developmental assistant and event coordinator, for the Health Care Access Clinic, 1920 Moodie Road, said about 300 tickets were sold for the tour, now in its third year. She said the fundraiser was important for the clinic, which sees more than 1,800 patients a year. The number of patients the clinic assists grows every year, Zogry said. She said the clinic expects a 14 percent increase in patients over last year.

“By coming on the tour and purchasing a ticket, you’re providing a medical home for the holidays,” she said.

The funds generated by Sunday’s event go to the clinic’s operating budget and help pay for everything from electric bills to the purchase of medicine, as well as the costs associated with providing the county’s uninsured with medical services. She said she hoped Sunday’s event would raise between $7,000 and $10,000 for the clinic.

The home tour is one of two major annual fundraisers for the clinic. The other is the TherapyWorks Lawrence Half-Marathon and 5K, taking place April 20, 2008.

The homes on the tour, Zogry said, were “a great mix of old and new and big and small. We’re so grateful for everybody being so gracious.”

Judy Juneau, whose home near Alvamar Golf Course was on display, was excited to show off her Christmas decorations, which filled the first floor of her home. Four Christmas trees stood in various corners of her foyer, living room and dining room, and Christmas decorations, from dolls to dishes, seemed to garnish every available space.

“I love to decorate. I decorate like this every year,” Juneau said. Her husband, Ted, is athletic director at Haskell Indian Nations University and served on the Health Care Access Clinic board last year.

“If your home is decorated, you really embrace the season more,” Juneau said.