From the 2024/25 President, Michelle Lackner

This will be my last newsletter as President of the Newcomers Club. (I have a note for you at the end of this post.)

Short version: It has been a pleasure to serve.

Many thanks to the 2024/25 Board and Directors who worked so diligently to anchor down so many foundational pieces for our new Club and get exciting new events off the ground.

Jose Rodriguez, Michelle Lackner, Deb Halper, Rose Nakazawa, (Not pictured: Natasha Frank)

We are thrilled to pass the baton to the next crew!

And as you can see from the photo below, the Dynamic Duo - Andrew Steele, our incoming President, and Rich Rawson, incoming Vice President - are already gearing up to take the wheel and fly this plane! It’s going to be a great ride. Fasten your seatbelts!

While this is my final newsletter as President, I’ll still be on the Board as Past President and Director of Publications and Communications. So if you have an urge to serve, let Andrew and his team know! It’s a fantastic way to meet stellar people and turn acquaintances into lasting friendships.

Yesterday, I read this line from Homecoming by Kate Morton:

“…She herself had been thinking about ‘Home’ a lot. Home, she realized, wasn’t a place or a time or a person, though it could be any and all of those things: Home was a feeling, a sense of being complete. The opposite of ‘home’ wasn’t ‘away,’ it was ‘lonely.’ When someone said, ‘I want to go home,’ what they really meant was that they didn’t want to feel lonely anymore.”

To me, being President of the Newcomers Club wasn’t so much a duty as it was a calling.(Never mind that Deb Halper stalked me to take the job!)

I simply wanted to make sure that every member of the Newcomers Club felt at home and never felt alone. But the real beauty in all of this is how all of you showed up to carry out that mission, too. The hearty welcomes, the laughter echoing around the room when we gather, the smiles as we greet new and not-so-new friends - it’s all truly heartwarming.

Which of us hasn’t been seduced by the beauty of the Coachella Valley? Our homes are welcoming and lovely - but the frosting on the cake is the friendships we make and hold dear in our community, often starting right here in the Newcomers Club.

Thank you to all who have shared this vision and helped bring it to life. May we continue to warmly welcome new residents as they land on our doorstep.

I’ll leave you with this:

And that’s a good thing. Right? 😊

Have a lovely summer, and I’ll see you around the neighborhood!

Warmly,

Michelle Lackner

2024/25 Season President, Newcomers Club