WoW! Thank you, Orcas

||| FROM HILARY CANTY |||

WOW! What a great Holiday GiveOrcas Campaign! 17 of the 19 proposals were fully funded and more than $150,000 was contributed from over 300 donors. Amazing! The generosity of this community is heartwarming and inspiring. Thanks to all who participated!

Now we are ready to celebrate! We are hosting a Winter Solstice parade on December 21st at 4 pm. We are encouraging folks to make a luminaria to carry, wear strings of lights, or illuminate themselves in any way as the theme is Be the Light.

We are offering a free workshop to make luminarias this Saturday, December 9 at the Orcas Center Madrona Room. Artist extraordinaire and A*OK teacher, Brook Mienhardt, will be there from noon to 4 to help guide you through the process. Swing by and get crafty! It is the perfect way to spend a rainy Saturday.

The other item to celebrate is the pending completion of the purchase of the Pea Patch property. We are anticipating that it will be complete this Monday. What an amazing effort and a wonderful gift to all islanders. Once we close the purchase chapter, we can take a breath before starting the design and build chapters. I am so very grateful to Mary Clure who has led us through the process as our agent and advisor. We could not have done it without her.

 If you have the capacity and would like to brighten a child’s Holiday, please consider picking a tag off the Giving Tree at Island Market and fulfilling a wish. It appears that there are still many to choose from.

Thanks again.