Neighbors share breakfast and bids for Third Place Commons

Milner Family Fiddles entertained the room

Photos by Steven H. Robinson

It was a packed house for the Friends of the Third Place Commons Breakfast on Thursday, March 7, 2019.

Commons Executive Director Amy Whittenberg welcomed the crowd and talked about the theme of this year's event - Won't You Be My Neighbor - and how The Commons invokes our sense of connectedness and community.

Board Member Casey Smirniotopoulos (left) was the MC for the event. Here, she addresses the crowd to talk about The Commons and the benefits that it offers to the community.

Keynote speaker was Mónica Guzmán, founder of The Evergrey and former writer/columnist for The Seattle Times, GeekWire, and The Daily Beast.

Norman Lieberman, right, Board and Breakfast Chair, presented the Friends of the Community Award to community activist and friend to all she meets, Anne Stadler.

Anne has spent decades doing good work both professionally and as a volunteer to seek solutions to world issues through nonviolence and alternative methods of conflict resolution, all in service of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of the Beloved Community.

Anne was also the original catalyst for, and a founding board member of, our very own nonprofit organization, Friends of Third Place Commons!

Ross Henderson ran a lively, fast-paced auction with a little something for everyone. Auctioned off were restaurant experiences, theatre tickets, live music performances, two original paintings by artist Meenakshi Sinha, spa services, a fly fishing course, and naturally a gift certificate to Third Place Books!

Honey Bear bakery provided the breakfast, and the servers were volunteers from Interact - the youth Rotary group associated with the Rotary Club of Lake Forest Park.

Update: corrected titles for Casey and Norman