by Amanda Landreth, STCU
EWI of Spokane Chapter President
Happy New Year!
The past year was full of ups, downs, and sideways. I often find stepping into a new year brings a breath of fresh air. As I reflect on 2022, I found myself smiling, thinking of all that our Chapter has accomplished and given back to our community. The past year was filled with wonderful events, meetings, and real connections made.
We held our February chapter meeting at The Podium, Spokane’s newest sports complex and event center. In April, we were joined by Spokane mayor Nadine Woodward to celebrate our 43rd Chapter anniversary. We heard from Latisha Hill, Avista; Tim Henke, United Way; Nadine Burgess,
Spokane Gymnastics; Brian Newberry, Girl Scouts; Novelist Chris Crutcher; Special Needs Financial
Planner Mary McDirmid; and Brooke Baker Spink, Baker Construction and Development. Meg
Winchester, Visit Spokane President & CEO and, Larry Krauter, Spokane International Airport CEO. To wrap up the year, our December meeting filled with many laughs, an array of ugly sweaters and time to connect on our favorite holiday traditions.
Not to mention this past year our scholarship committee worked tirelessly to propose a new
EWISP II scholarship, in addition to the others we offer for our upcoming 2023 scholarship awards cycle, totaling $20,000! Like I mentioned earlier, our Chapter has so much to be proud of. In addition to our scholarship and fundraising efforts, we also have numerous philanthropy opportunities to give back to our community. Our Chapter Reading Rally, volunteering at Second Harvest, collecting food, clothing for our member firms Northeast Community Center and Communities in Schools, gift cards for our ASIST Scholarship winners and handing out turkeys at Tom’s Turkey Drive to name a few.
Reflecting on such an exciting year, my hope for 2023 is that we continue to bring joy to our
communities and our chapter. I wanted to share 11 ways to make the most of 2023 from an author I
enjoy.
Let yourself evolve
Respect your need to rest
Throw away perfectionism
Focus on small steps forward
Spend time with rejuvenating people
Experiencing ups and downs is normal
Give your energy to a handful of goals
Say no if your intuition is not saying yes
Reconnect with gratitude on a daily basis
Let go of the craving to control everything
Remember that growth is hard but worth it.
-Yung Pueblo
Cheers to a happy, healthy, and joyous 2023!
