I always enjoy this time of year. Fall is a chance for us to tidy things up, button up and prepare for the cold weather that is soon to be here. I think fall is my favorite season. I love the cool sunny days and cozy nights, and the sound of leaves as we walk through the grass and anticipate how to prepare for the upcoming winter.

Winter brings so many great celebrations at DAC. The December calendar is full of our traditional events, including the Julefrokost, Children’s Christmas Party, and so many other fun holiday concerts and gatherings. The holiday season brings excitement, joy, and hygge.

Along with these exciting gatherings, work continues at the DAC. The construction project on the first floor is well underway as I write this. The building committee has been working steadily on the bathroom project, and they have coordinated the work with subcontractors. Lots of headway is being made, and we anticipate that project to be finished within the next couple of months. We also encountered an unexpected but necessary repair to the roof of our building.

I’m grateful to our volunteers who keep such close tabs on maintenance and repair projects around our property. I am also grateful to our financial stewards within the organization who have helped us maintain a solid financial footing that enables us to address these critical repairs and improvements promptly.

I recently attended a 60th birthday party for a close friend. The gathering was hosted at DAC, and as a guest at a function, it gives me a chance to appreciate what we’ve built at DAC. We have a wonderful community of friends and families working together and celebrating together in a cozy environment. As I looked around the room, I saw four generations of several families who have been involved at DAC. It warms my heart to think of the founders of our organization, who must have hoped that our community would become a long-standing institution that celebrates friends, family, community, and Danish culture. It was a reminder to me that we are stewards of the organization, keeping it
strong and vibrant so the foundation remains solid for generations to come.
Pete Gantriis