Submitted by Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor

One year ago, just a few days before the event, COVID-19 forced Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor to cancel its St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza.

This year, as people are being vaccinated, we were looking forward to celebrating in person with the island community. However, as vaccine distribution has a long way to go, and the county still only being in Phase 2, Soroptimist of Friday Harbor decided to postpone the St. Patrick’s Day event again this year. We currently plan to return in 2022, better than ever.

We thank the community for their outstanding continued support during this difficult time. The St. Patrick’s event is by far our biggest fundraiser bringing in more than half our revenue each year. Last year we drew on reserves to maintain our programs, and when we held an online fundraiser in the summer, and smaller events in the fall and winter, donors were generous. We are on solid financial footing. We maintained our Cancer Treatment Ferry Ticket program, our Awards and Scholarships, the Women’s Emergency Fund, and worked with the Farmer’s Market and Food Hub to help local families and seniors buy locally grown food. Along with other local agencies, we are looking at how to provide the most vulnerable in our community with extra support.

We miss welcoming you all to a great party and hope to see you to raise a toast in March 2022.

Founded in 1996, the Friday Harbor club is part of Soroptimist International of the Americas, a global organization that works to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment. Friday Harbor members join with almost 80,000 Soroptimists in about 120 countries and territories to contribute time and financial support to community-based projects benefitting women and girls.

In Friday Harbor the club raises and donates over $40,000 and thousands of volunteer hours each year to community projects. For more information about how Soroptimists improves the lives of women and girls, visit www.sifri.org or look for us on Facebook at facebook.com/soroptimistinternationaloffridayharbor.