Message from Suzy Chandler, President of the Board

What an exciting time at NNN! This week, we got to welcome our newest Board member, Lyn Ching! If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting her as she's been helping match volunteers to member service requests this year, you've missed out. Lyn is an enthusiastic and energetic community member, and we're glad to welcome her to the Board. She'll bring the focus of the volunteer perspective to this new Board role.

Lyn also has a wealth of experience in helping identify sponsorship opportunities, and will be working to kick off our inaugural efforts in this area. This ability to identify local businesses who want to help support the work we do in our growing NNN community is a key to building our sustainable model. (Yes, there's room for you to help in this area as well! The Community Outreach and Fundraising team is planning an October working and brainstorming session. Email Suzy or Danie to learn more.)

Speaking of fundraising, we kicked off our fall giving campaign for Good Neighbor Day. During the rest of September, watch our Facebook page to see behind the scenes connections we make between members and volunteers every day. This is community building at its best! Thank you to those of you who have already donated to our sustainable model to help support our work.

Volunteer Profile: The Francis Family

NNN feels compelled to show off our first family of volunteers!

One of our newest volunteers at NNN is retired firefighter Steve Francis. After serving 42 years with Snohomish County Fire District #1, Steve retired as a top firefighter but is now part of the chaplain crew with that same department.  

He joins his wife Beth, who has been with NNN for several months now, as well as daughter Jamie, who has been with us since last year.

The Francis family, as well as extended family, had the opportunity to care for Beth’s aging father for the last year and a half of his life and were able to keep him independent and comfortable in his own home. This experience seems to be a big motivating factor in the decision to join NNN. 

The whole family has been enjoying meeting new friends and neighbors through our program. And we couldn't be happier to have them as part of our community at NNN.

~ Social Spotlight ~

NNN is lucky to have so many talented members and volunteers in our community! Read on to learn about two of our members who’ve shared upcoming events that may be of interest to others in our community:

Member-Artist Colleen Lambert was selected to showcase her art at the Lynnwood Event Center’s current exhibit and art sale, “Majestic Menagerie: Animals of the Earth and Ocean.” This exhibit runs through December and features the work of 35 artists. It’s open to the public Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Event center is located at 3711 196th Street SW, Lynnwood, WA 98036. View additional images of Colleen’s work at https://www.facebook.com/ceelambertartist & https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/colleen-lambert?tab=artwork. We also thank Colleen for her generous donations of selections of her work for prize drawings in our last two Members & Volunteers picnic celebrations.

NNN Member-Author, Alice Boatwright has published several books. Her most recent book, Mrs. Potts Finds Thanksgiving, is Alice’s debut children’s book. It was inspired by Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol and traces Martha Potts’ discovery of the meaning of Thanksgiving through her chance encounter with a stray cat, who comes to stay. This heartwarming story is one for all ages. Alice invites you to come meet her and listen to her read from her book on November 20th at 5:00 at Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE #A101, Lake Forest Park, WA  98155. This event is free, and open to the public. Read more about Alice and her other well reviewed books at: https://alicekboatwright.com.

Would you like to share your talent so others can enjoy your efforts? Let us know! Contact Social@NorthwestNeighborsNetwork.org!

~ Member to Member Connections are Going Strong! ~

Yippee!!!! Last month, several members contacted NNN to let us know about upcoming exhibits, concerts or other events they plan to go to and hope to find like-minded companions to go with them. Other members also let us know they’re looking for others in our NNN family who are interested in playing bridge together, going to movies, or becoming an exercise buddy. 

In keeping with our commitment to help strengthen connections within our NNN community, here’s a “how to” guide about how NNN can help you get the word out about something you’d like to do with someone else in the NNN Community.

Step 1 (YOU): At least 2 weeks in advance and no later than Friday of each week send information about the event/activity/opportunity you’d like another NNN member/volunteer to join you to Social@NorthwestNeighborsNetwork.org. 

Tips For The Highest Chance of Success in Finding a Match: 

• Most Important: The more advance notice you provide, the higher the likelihood you may find another NNN member who may be able to join you.

• Make sure to provide enough information about what the activity/event is, when and where it’s happening, and whether you are able to provide transportation or need someone who can drive to the event.

• Include information about the cost (if any) of tickets/entrance and when the tickets or reservations are open to reserve. 

• If you want to sit together, suggest that your companion wait to purchase a seat until you’ve agreed to the details about date, time etc. 

Step 2 (NNN): Once NNN receives your information, someone from the Social Committee will contact you if more information is needed and to confirm how you want others to contact you to make arrangements. 

Step 3 (NNN): NNN Social will collect all requests throughout the week and send just one weekly email on Mondays to other members who have profiles that indicate they’re interested in the same type of activity. 

• Because many members are interested in the same things, we want to prevent sending multiple one-topic emails throughout a week to the same people, which is why we need advance notice of upcoming events. We’ll do our best to consolidate similar opportunities to reduce multiple emails.

Holiday Carolers Wanted! 

Join us to bring holiday cheer to some of our NNN neighbors

We’re excited to bring some smiles and a bit of holiday cheer to several of our NNN Neighbors over the first two weeks of December. As we featured in last month’s newsletter, several NNN volunteer carolers visited some members’ homes last year and encouraged them to sing along or to just relax and enjoy the brief friendly visit. Our carolers had a great time last year as they bonded together and met so many of our NNN Neighbors. We’re fortunate to have our amazing volunteer coordinator, Eileen C. take the lead as she organizes another group of volunteer carolers for this coming holiday season. 

Make Your Own Holiday Brighter! Join the NNN Caroling Crew!

Thanks to those of you who’ve already volunteered to join the caroling crew this year. We’re still looking for a few more wonderful volunteers to join us, as we plan how many homes we can visit and start to organize the routes. All members and volunteers are welcome to join our NNN holiday caroling team. Don’t think you can carry a tune? Don’t worry! You’re singing in a group of other happy carolers. If you really don’t want to sing, we could use a few volunteers who’ll come along to take pictures and lend a hand (or a scarf and maybe some hot coffee or hot chocolate) as needed. Every caroler will be provided with song sheets and an array of dates to choose from, as well as probable carpool options. Our hope is to organize small groups of carolers who are able to make 4-6 visits during the first two weeks of December. 

If you’re interested, please reach out to Social@NorthwestNeighborsNetwork as soon as possible. You may also call or text 253-237-2848 and ask one of our Services volunteers to get the message to us. We’ll take it from there!

October Events 

We look forward to meeting you at some of our gatherings and online chat groups. Please join us! As always, NNN members may request transportation to any NNN hosted event. We encourage you to check out our website for any new or changed events. Click on this link to view our Events page for additional information.

Volunteers, How Would YOU Like To Connect this Fall?

The Volunteer Happy & Coffee Hours always ensure a few new smiles but we hope to find other ways to interact this Fall & Winter that are more meaningful to you. We are holding off on Happy Hour and Coffee this month and saving our energy for a November event. What comes to mind for you?

This Fall, we plan to hold a training around Current NNN Member Services Policies & Guidelines, which was recently updated and is worth a good in-person/online review. We will be announcing a date/time for that soon. Watch for it in an upcoming Friday email.

Email danie@northwestneighborsnetwork.org if you wish to offer an idea for a quarterly volunteer get-together or if you have specific training topics you would like to see covered this year and into next.

Visit Our Events Calendar!

Want to see if something’s been added or changed before you lock in your plans? 

We encourage you to visit our website at www.NorthwestNeighborsNetwork.org. Our main page has a side column that includes NNN planned activities for each day and coming weeks. You can also find a month at a glance calendar of upcoming activities by visiting the Events tab on our website. To view the Events calendar, click on this (or type this address into your web browser) https://northwestneighborsnetwork.org/content.aspx?page_id=4001&club_id=571198. Here’s an ‘at a glance’ calendar for planned events in October as of the time of this publication. Hint: It’s easier to review when you look at it on the website from your computer or Smartphone. 🧡

Birthdays in October

Join us in wishing our NNN members and volunteers born in October a very happy birthday month! We hope each of you finds something that makes you smile, as we smile with you. 

Happy Birthday to:

Lynn G., Gene T., Mary M.,  Izzy C., Annalee C., Kim L., Ro B., Pat K., Barbara G., Randy E., Rhonda H., Kate F., Colleen L., Skip B.,   Melinda G., Candy J., Lauren N., Wendy S., Mei-Ling F., Hans S., Aisha J., Tara J., Doreen H., Betty Q., Bruce M., Jeanie B.

Recipes of the Month

Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:

1 2.5 lb head of cauliflower, cored

1/4 extra virgin olive oil

1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt

1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 quart chicken stock 

3 thyme sprigs tied in a bundle

8 Brussel sprouts, trimmed and separated into leaves

1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cut 1/4 of the cauliflower into 1/2 inch florets.

Coarsely chop the remaining cauliflower. 

In a large saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil.

Add the leek, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened,  about 5 minutes.

Stir in the potato and the chopped cauliflower, then add the wine and cook over high heat until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.

Add the stock and thyme bundle and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, stirring occasionally,  until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Discard the thyme bundle.

Meanwhile, at either end of a baking sheet, separately toss the cauliflower florets and brussel sprout leaves with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and season with salt.

Roast for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring each halfway through, until lightly browned and tender.

In a blender, puree the soup in 2 batches until very smooth.

Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in cream.

Reward over moderate heat, adding water if soup seems too thick, and season with salt.

Top soup with roasted brussel sprout leaves and cauliflower florets when serving.

Breadsticks for Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients: 

3 to 3 1/4 cups all- purpose flour

1 package quick rise yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp water, divided

1 large egg white

coarse salt

Directions:

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt. 

In a saucepan, heat milk to 120-130 degrees. 

Add to dry ingredients.

Beat on medium speed just until moistened to form a stiff dough.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Punch down dough.

Pinch off golf ball size pieces.

On a lightly floured surface, shape each ball into a 6 inch rope.

Place on greased baking sheet 1 inch apart. 

Cover and let rise for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Beat egg white and remaining 1 Tbsp of water, brush over breadsticks.

Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake until golden, about 10 minutes.

Remove from pan to wire rack to cool.

-Submitted by NNN Volunteer, Melanie Belfield-Vigh