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THANK YOU LETTERS |
Thank you to Thanksgiving Day volunteersDear Editor, posted 12/01/2008
This was one of our most successful and smoothly running Community Thanksgiving Dinners and we are very grateful for to all the volunteers who bake pies, cook turkeys, peel potatoes, prepare and serve food and drinks, and wash a ship-load of dishes; both on the Wednesday day before and on Thanksgiving Day itself. All of this is possible because of the volunteers who are so plentiful that sometimes you have to elbow your way into the kitchen. The dinner was a great success enjoyed by everyone. Special thanks to Kerwin Johnson, who always cheerfully gives a large financial contribution to get us started (and then comes in to help peel 100 pounds of potatoes), and to Verne Howard of King’s Market for the contribution of 24 turkeys. The service clubs: Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis, Soroptimists, American Legion, Sons of the Legion, and American Legion Auxiliary each donate $50 toward the cost of the food and provide many of the volunteers. John Stimpson, at Market Place always helps us with special food orders and gives us a discount on the food purchase. In addition, this year the 4-H "Bits and Spurs" group provided wonderful, home-made table centerpieces, while the Leos club and the Boy Scouts helped with table set up and clean up and the Girl Scouts donated pies. Time Warner donates free cable TV for the day so that diners can enjoy football games at the Grange. For the past two years, this effort has been masterfully coordinated by the LLB. There are many more individuals who cheerfully give their time, expertise and energy to this event. The list would be too long to print if we mention them all. But we are grateful to each one. Each volunteer and each group is an essential piece of the grand Thanksgiving puzzle. It is very satisfying to participate in an event that has voluntary attendance, voluntary contributions, and voluntary effort that brings people together to recognize and give thanks for all we have. This is a labor of love for us and we are already looking forward to the 2009 Community Thanksgiving Dinner which will mark a decade of Community Thanksgiving Dinners at the Grange. Jim and Minnie Knych Thanks for all involved with the Safety FairDear Editor, posted 10/13/2008
Thank you to our generous sponsors Friday Harbor Drug, Kings Market, Osito's and Toy Box. Thank you to Deb Mason for baking two incredibly grand, beautiful and delicious birthday cakes in celebration of San Juan Island Fire Department's 50th anniversary and the Town of Friday Harbor's Centennial. Thank you to Francis Smith, Lainey Volk and Robin DeLaZerda for organizing an informative and visual rescue demonstration showing us the great skill, cooperation and dedication our emergency workers use when we need them the most. Thank you to the Red Cross team – Sheryl Tribolet, Diane Ludeman and Lesle Mutchler - who kept the kitchen going and everyone fed as they would when needed in an emergency. Thank you to Christian DeLaZerda for teaching kids about fire and life safety with the new Hazard House. Thank you to Ron Garner and Jim Guard for the concept and fruition of the San Juan Island Fire Department Hall of Fame. And most of all, thank you to the community for showing your support for our emergency services. We always welcome suggestions on how we can serve you better from public education to emergency responses. From Your Dedicated Team:
Soroptimist Thank You!Dear Editor, posted 10/13/2008 A special thank you to the businesses and individuals who made contributions: Lori Stokes, San Juan Florist, Laura Tuttle, Annette Schaffer, Bette Cantrell, The Toy Box, Sharon Pigman, Paradise Lanes, Kings Printing, San Juan Islander, San Juan Journal, San Juan Update, Susan Wingate, The Ale House, Garuda & I, Serendipity, Loea Design, Dominique's, Friday Harbor Drug, Joshua Reedy of Spa D' Bune, Crème Brulee, Dr. Pat Hansen, Islanders Bank, Dana Bune, Marketplace, Vinny's Restorante, Richard Wills of Spa D' Bune, Samantha Wills of Spa D' Bune, Harbor Gallery, Ellen Roberts, DiCristina Photography and Friday Harbor House. For more information regarding Friday Harbor Soroptimist International please visit www.sifri.org. The Bowl-A-Thon Fiesta Fundraiser and Dinner Party will resume in May 2009. Thank you all again! Marie DiCristina
ISLAND QUEST A BIG SUCCESS!!Dear Editor, posted 10/13/2008 Island Quest adventure race thanks the following: Elements Hotel and Spa; the Friday Harbor Fire Department "Fire Boat Confidence"; our local hamsters and hamsterettes for providing ham radio operations; Remote Medical International; SJC Public Works, Port of Friday Harbor, our National Historical Parks, and Flagship Event Rentals.
Paul Hopkins Thanks a Million (Almost!)posted 10/07/2008 Special thanks go to Kings Market and Half Tide Farms for donating the food and to James Kearse who, with the help of Bryan Perry, David Braun and Leslie Byron so masterfully turned it into a gourmet event. Our keynote speaker, Chef Tom French, who is leading the movement to transform school lunch programs on the Island, captivated all assembled with his words and experience about the impact of giving. Helen Machin-Smith of Island Stage Left also shared words of inspiration, as did Debbie Fincher organizer of the schools' anti-bullying program. Finally, we express our gratitude to Grace Willows who helped by handing out the awards and charming all of the grantees. The Board of Directors San Juan Island Community Foundation Thank you to the San Juan Island Community FoundationDear Editor, posted 10/03/2008 Work will begin shortly to replace our aged heating system with a new and more energy efficient system ensuring our temporary animal residents a warm and comfortable home during the winter months. Also, we are eager to get started implementing new education classes with the funds so generously awarded to us through Jim McNairy's class and the Youth in Philanthropy Program. Many dogs come to the shelter with behavioral problems that make them unsuitable pets. With this grant we will work with a professional trainer to teach our staff and volunteers how to train the dogs in our care to be well-behaved and enjoyable family members. We believe this will be a great benefit to the animals and the community. It was a pleasure to attend the Breakfast of Champions. The guest speakers were inspirational, the food and hospitality were excellent and we were honored to be among the recipients of the Community Foundation's generous grants. Sincerely,
Jaime Ellsworth "Thank you" to our Town Street Crew!posted 07/07/2008
Did you know...Dave Smith, Mike Goff, Kasey Anderson and Jeff Peacock work together to wash our sidewalks in town every week, up one side of the street one day and down the other side the next? Did you know… that three times a week, they also sweep along the curbs, sweep the sidewalks and even sweep in the doorway wells? And they do all of this knowing that right behind them is someone who is going to carelessly toss a cigarette butt or drop a candy wrapper on the ground. So, please extend a "thank you" when you see them. We all know how powerful those two words can be! Debbie Pigman Thank you to the community from the SJ Public Schools FoundationDear Editor, posted 05/31/2008
Through the SOS campaign more than 450 families have donated $94,270 and pledged $6,920. In addition Valmark's gift of $50,000, a gift of $10,000 from Rich and Joan Komen, and $10,000 from Roche Harbor makes the total of "matching gifts" to date over $170,000. Now it is imperative that we raise the final $130,000 in order to match the remaining challenge gift. This will restore the athletic program (including boys' soccer, girls' volleyball, boys' tennis, golf, track, and wrestling), restore support for students struggling to learn to read, and restore essential secretarial and custodial services. Pledges can still be made on the SOS hotline at 370-7925 or donations can be made on line at www.sjpsf.org. Your donation will be matched dollar for dollar, doubling your contribution! We want to thank our Superintendent, Michael Soltman, for his leadership and the quick response of his team in identifying next year's funding crisis before most districts in Washington even knew there was a problem. This early outreach to the community, clearly communicating the gravity of our situation, gave us the time and opportunity to respond proactively. And the overwhelmingly positive response has been possible because of this very caring, supportive, and generous community. We want to thank the community for this initial response to the school funding crisis. We continue to be inspired by this community's resolve to Save Our Schools! The San Juan Public Schools Foundation Thanking Orcas Island CommunityDear Editor, posted 05/31/2008
I also want to commend our training department and our Medical Director, Dr. Sullivan for the high quality of care we are required to provide. As part of my certification, I was required to ride along on a Basic Life Support Medical Unit for a 12-hour shift near Oakland California. I was surprised to find they do not carry AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillators) nor use monitoring tools like a glucose meter to check blood sugars or a Pulse Oxygen Meter which is clipped gently to a finger and reads the amount of oxygen in the patient's blood stream. No patient was given oxygen and I was allowed to put a blanket on one patient. The three standard questions were "what is your name, where are you going and can I see your insurance card?" I feel truly grateful to be in a medical system that consistently provides the "above the standard" care. We each carry an AED as part of our standard personal gear. We are expected to use every tool provided such as checking blood sugar levels, blood oxygen saturation and even basic heart rhythms when ever possible. And we have the luxury of going above and beyond as part of our standard operating procedures. When we respond to someone's "worst day ever," it is a great feeling to show we care. Captain Maxx Jones Thank yous from Matt Johnson's FamilyWe would like to personally thank the people of Friday Harbor for their love and support during Matt's battle with leukemia. Although we were not able to attend the benefit dinner/auction/dance held last Saturday, we were touched deeply by the stories of that evening. Thank you to the group of friends and family that poured their heart and soul into organizing this event. Your time and energy will not be forgotten. The evening could not have been a success without all the generous donations. The auction items were remarkable and the donated time, talent, food, drinks, flowers, and many other items are so appreciated. To each of you that attended and supported us by purchasing dinner or participating in the auction, words cannot adequately express our gratitude. As we continue our fight for Matt's health we will carry with us the love, kindness, and prayers sent from the community of Friday Harbor. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you. Sincerely, Throughout the years, Margaret and I have participated in many fundraising activities. Never in our wildest dreams did we ever anticipate attending one for our family. As it happened, the night of the Fun Raiser also marked the beginning of Matt's chemotherapy, the saddest and scariest day in our lives for us all. So, as Margaret, Ben and I approached the evening, we had to emotionally gather ourselves, not knowing how we would do. We'd decided beforehand that we needed and wanted to stay together so that we could help one another keep our emotions in check. As we walked through the door, we found ourselves wrapped in LOVE. There's just no better way to describe it.. With the warmth that was displayed, our fears and sadness soon evaporated in a sea of hugs, words of encouragement and kisses. The evening was so event-packed, so successful in fund raising and there were so many of you there to support us that we regret not having been able to talk with you all. We can't thank you enough for what you've given us. Those who planned, staged, donated, bid and bought, provided food, served food, stayed for dinner, made Matt's quilt, signed signature blocks, sang, photographed, set up, cleaned up, played music and danced with us (I believe we have photo's – ha!) will stay in our hearts forever. Thank you to you all for just being there. We love you all and we know how fortunate we were to have made all of you our neighbors so many years ago. Love, The Johnsons Thank you from Friday Harbor Baseball and Softball AssociationDear Editor, Thanks to all that attended this year's Hit-A-Thon, Friday Harbor Baseball and Softball Association's annual fundraiser. Instead of the traditional door to door candy bar sales, the players collect pledges per foot, then try to hit and throw the ball as far as they can. This year the sun showed up and everyone wanted in the dunk tank. Thanks to everyone who came and spent their hard earned money at our fundraiser. Thanks to all the players who collected sponsors and came to hit and throw for the fences. Thanks to the coaches, parent volunteers, and board members that gave their time and energy to make it all happen. Special thanks to Debbie Rishel and Alexis Hauck in the snack shack, Steve Cutting, Kris Brown, Phil Hickenbottom, Penny Dunn, Scott Bell, Shanar Fox, the Junior Boys Team (for taking the measurements), Gina Sandwith and the Kiwanis for the Dunk Tank. We were able to raise $13,000 at this event. Thanks to all sponsors who support our program, and make it possible for us to play ball. Michelle Herko Dear Editor, posted 03/22/2008 With Deep Appreciation, Matt, Jackie, Dustin, Tesa, Taylor, and Jordyn Johnson Kerwin, Margaret, Ben, and Vanessa Johnson Rick and Karen King Steve and Kelli King Greg and Natalie King Thank you from the Family of Bob BoyceDear Editor, posted 04/12/2008 The family of Bob Boyce would like to thank everyone for their kind words, cards, food and hugs. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful and caring friends. Thank you from the Family of Bill LyonsDear Editor, posted 04/06/2008 The family of William Porter (Bill) Lyons would like to thank everyone who sent a card, gave a hug and shared our sorrow over Bill's passing. We truly appreciate all the support and feel blessed and honored to live among all you wonderful people. We would especially like to thank those of you who knew Bill and shared your memories of him with us. Thank you. Thank you to VotersDear Friday Harbor Voters, posted 02/27/2008 Thank you all for the support!
Sharon Fishaut |
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SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2009 |
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