My family moved to Orcas Island in 1985. I had taught full-time in Iowa, and moving to this lovely island inspired me to decide not to teach but to enjoy the new place and my family. I was captured by Kathy Youngren to be a part of the island culture centered around Orcas Island Education Foundation and the “Holiday Fair.”

I spent many hours at Patty Sargeant’s house making pinecone wreathes and ornaments for the fair. I learned to operate a glue gun for the first time.  This experience included wonderful food and friendship. It also included my first lessons in quilting and the infamous OIEF quilt to be raffled by students and given at the fair. I can remember making my first hand stitches with a very patient Pam Lowe.

The fair was always the weekend after Thanksgiving so the turkey dinner was put on the back burner. Wonderful, creative people decorated the school cafeteria and commons and later the Discovery House: Abby Rueb, Debbie Woodruff and Yuriko Bullock include a few. Vendors were selected much like the now Artisan Fair. But the highlight was the drawing for the hand-man OIEF quilt.

As years went on we shifted a bit to an auction/dinner at Orcas Center. The big draw was the live auction often led by Abby and even Dennis McKinney.

It didn’t take me long after that first year to decide to go back to teaching, and I joined the OISD staff. My time was more limited but I loved the creative outlet and most importantly the friendships OIEF had created.

Getting the students involved in quilt sales provided a great connection to the fine work of OIEF.  Staff members helped with the creation of the quilt in the years that followed, and so the group of quilters grew.

It was sad to see the tradition of the quilt raffle go, but other ways of fundraising have evolved. Having the students create items to auction again gave the students and the  way to contribute to the mission of OIEF. Thank you for the many years of feeling a part of an organization working towards quality education in our public schools.

I hope you will join me in attending the June 28 “Food for Thought” event at Random Howse. The good work of OIEF will continue for the next 30 years with your support.

Susan Stolmeier

Orcas Island