Editor,

One of the really great things about this community is our collective passion and commitment to causes that make a difference. The South Whidbey Commons has been a beneficiary of this caring support for many years, and especially this year.

The Commons board, staff and volunteers are committed to doing everything we can to earn your support. We re-opened our doors July 7 to a successful summer season. We’ve created a more focused, sustainable business model dedicated to serving customers well while operating a top-notch training program. Our goal each day is to provide our customers with great coffee, great food and great service.

This fall, we are collaborating with Mukilteo Coffee Company to refine our training program, ensuring young people gain the valuable skills they need to enter a competitive work force. We offer a structured skill-building, certification program that gives trainees an advantage in getting that first job or a better job.

The Commons is recommitting to being a vibrant Langley community center with plans to offer more musical events, author readings, conversation cafes, and other experiences that bind a community together. We believe this community resource will be most successful if it is community-driven, so we invite anyone interested in helping develop our event programs to get involved.

Many thanks to you, our neighbors and friends, for believing in the Commons and for your incredible support this past year. We truly couldn’t have done it without you.

LINDA HENDERSON

South Whidbey Commons

board president