I would like to take this occassion to say a huge thank you to all of you who called and subsequently donated their furniture, household goods and money to Brian and Karen of the Archstone Waterford Place Apartments. I wrote to ask for your help in an open letter last week and when the letter was printed in last week’s paper, Brian came up to me where we work at LOUD Technologies to say his phone was ringing of the hook with people wanting to donate to his cause.

We are thrilled and moved by the outpouring of support. When my family first knew of our impending transfer to the Seattle area, we didn’t know where we should live. Each week my husband would mail home The Woodinville Weekly, and we eventually told our realtor it has to be Woodinville.

Well, our gut instincts proved correct. This is an extra-ordinary town filled with people who go above and beyond.

I am also happy to report that not only did the town of Woodinville come through for my co-worker and his wife but our employer did as well.

When our Human Resources director Angela Denis heard that Brian had lost a valuable guitar, she had Brian’s neighbor and co-worker John describe the instrument lost and then arranged for LOUD to give a brand new beautiful Alvarez Guitar to Brian. Everyone in the sales office just had to play it and it sounds as beautiful as it looks. Not only that, Angela arranged for our LOUD employees to host a potluck lunch and raised almost $2,000 to help all of our employees who were adversely affected by the flood.

We should be proud of ourselves and grateful to each other that this is the kind of community in which we live and this is the kind of employer for whom we work. Have a spectacular holiday season.