Name: Sara Fassett Family Member Names: Jordyn Fassett (daughter) 19; Taylor Fassett (son) 17 Tell your neighbors a bit of your story. What makes you “you?” This is such a big question!  As I would imagine it is for many people, I feel like my life has gone through so many transformations that have brought me here today.  I would like to talk about what has brought me to where I am right now and why I am so excited about it. When our family moved to Ferndale, we bought our house right up the street from Mountain View Elementary where both kids would go. What an amazing school and I am still sad it is gone.  However, back then it was a fabulous place for my kids to be.  I started volunteering right away and came to know other parents, the teachers, staff, and other volunteers.  A few years in, I got involved in the volunteer Art program.  Funny because I am not artistic at all. Seven sets of portfolios with 5 different artists would travel throughout the Ferndale elementary schools.  Art docents (parent volunteers) would teach about each of the artists in the classrooms with projects for each.  By the time a child left 6^th grade, they would have been exposed to 35 different artists!  All shared by volunteers.  At Mountain View, our program would end with the Art Fair where we showcased the art the kids had created throughout the halls and at the Fair itself.  I so wish this program was still in happening…I took over the program for the last 3 years before Mountain View closed and it was through this that I met and got to know Bertella Hanson who was the backbone of the program in the school district. Flash forward to 2016 – I was just getting back into real estate and working at Rockwood Realty on Main Street.  One day, Bertella walks in!  It had been years since I had seen her and she was inviting us to be a member of the Ferndale Downtown Association  (FDA).  I was happy to see her and of course we joined.  Through this and my association with her, I started becoming more interested in what was happening in our Downtown Ferndale where I now worked.  I got more involved and then met Kelsey Rowlson with the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce.  We partnered up to go around visiting the business around town on behalf of our different organizations.  It was so eye opening to chat with local business owners and hear their thoughts, both positive and negative.  I love to talk with people and I felt like this was a way I could make a difference and help bridge a gap I saw.  I was invited to be a Chamber Ambassador and then approached as a potential Board member and was elected in 2018.  In the meantime, I was appointed to the City of Ferndale’s Parks, Recreation, & Trails Advisory Board (PRTAB). I feel so fortunate to be a part of the all 3 organizations that are working together to make sure Ferndale is a thriving, vibrant part of the greater Whatcom County community where people want to come live and do their business.  We have a truly wonderful group of folks throughout our city organizations who only want the best for Ferndale and I am so grateful to be a small part of it;) What brought you to Ferndale? When my daughter Jordyn was approaching Kindergarten in 2005, we were living in Bellingham.  I remember driving around one day and seeing a group of high school aged kids wandering downtown when school was in session.  I had this epiphany that I wanted to raise my kids in a smaller town and started asking everyone I knew where they went to school and what they liked about it.  I had so many people tell me how much they loved going to Ferndale.  Not one negative opinion!  This was the telltale sign for me that this was where I wanted to raise my family.  And although my superficial reasons for wanting to move make me laugh now (Bellingham is a great town as well ) I am so grateful we made the decision to move our family to the Ferndale community.  Right from our first days here, we felt welcomed. I have always told people one of the greatest things about this town is the sense of community.  I know that if I ever needed anything, there is somebody I know who would be there or point me in the right direction.  I am blessed to be here and so happy to involve myself and my family in the process of building up our city.  I am so excited to see how we will proper and evolveJ How long have you been a Ferndale neighbor? Our family moved to Ferndale in 2005. Best Ferndale landmark? My favorite landmark in Ferndale is the fountain at Riverwalk Park!  What a joy it is to drive over that bridge and see the water dancingJ Often times with the kiddos of Ferndale splashing and playing.  Parents get to sit and chat while watching their children play and the town pass by. The moving water feels like something alive greeting people as they come to town…a little cheesy but think about it next time you see it crossing the bridge, lol;) What is your favorite memory from your time in Ferndale? I have a number of them!  Art Fairs at Mountain View, camping out at the ball fields for my son Taylor’s baseball tournaments, having the community come out for our Ragnar team (Van-Go!) as we ran through town, Ye Old Fashioned Christmas every year with the kids even when they were too old for Santa…my favorite for myself was helping set up and work with the vendors at the Chamber of Commerce Ferndale Street Festival last year.  It was such a joy to get to know new people, help answer their questions, and make sure their Ferndale experience was the best it could be while contributing to the biggest event Ferndale puts on every year.  I really felt like I was a true member of the communityJ  I am looking forward to another great event this summer! Who should we meet next? I am sure I am not the first person to suggest her but Anya Milton is an incredible woman and I would love to hear more of her story!