Celebrating Connections: Listen and Talk Holds Ribbon Cutting & Room Naming Ceremonies in conjunction with the Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce.
Did you know that Listen and Talk first opened its doors in Seattle, WA over twenty-seven years ago? From houses to church basements to a former convent, we have occupied a number of spaces as we have grown over the years. We moved with excitement into our brand-new facility in Kirkland’s South Rose Hill district during the summer of 2020. Everyone at Listen and Talk has enjoyed making connections with our new community and we thought it was time to celebrate our move!
On Thursday, February 15, 2024, Listen and Talk welcomed Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce and City of Kirkland officials to join Listen and Talk staff and Board of Trustees members, families, alumni and local Kirkland community members for our ‘official’ ribbon cutting and room naming ceremony on a clear evening. Listen and Talk Board of Trustees members Natalie Bleifuss, Deb Masters, Alice Sasaki and Jennifer Swaim also joined us. Executive Director Maura Berndsen, Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce Vice President Beth Gale and the City of Kirkland’s Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold all spoke positively about Listen and Talk making a positive impact in Kirkland.
Executive Director Maura Berndsen and City of Kirkland Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold both ceremoniously cut the red ribbon together in front of our main reception area using a pair of red life-sized scissors. Board of Trustees member Jennifer Swaim’s daughter Karsen and a Chamber of Commerce member stood to the side holding the ribbon. Cheers of appreciation could be heard in the crowd celebrating this joyous occasion.
Listen and Talk is proud to be part of the Kirkland Community as we support families and
children with hearing loss across the Puget Sound region.”
Guests then moved inside and gathered in classroom hallways for our room naming event. Berndsen gave a brief speech thanking our generous donors who were honored with specially designed room-name signs. Listen and Talk alumni and donors revealed our colorful room signs and spoke about their life-changing experiences with the help of Listen and Talk’s staff, programs and services.
A pink sign with speech quote bubbles for Classroom Four highlighted the donation by board member Natalie Bleifuss for her children Dax Delucchi and Hadley Delucchi, alumni of Listen and Talk.
Alum Dax Delucchi spoke about being part of Listen and Talk’s Birth to Three and Blended Classroom Preschool programs. He stated how much his life had changed from his experiences working with teachers and staff at Listen and Talk.
Listen and Talk’s Classroom Five now has a blue sign with a ripple design pattern. This room was the gift of former Listen and Talk Board of Trustees President Frank Statkus and his wife Barbara in memory of her parents, Bud and Dot Milby, great grandparents of alumna Morgan Sfanos. Morgan’s brother Brian gave a moving speech about how much Listen and Talk has meant to his sister and his family. Morgan’s mother, Michelle; father, Chris; great-aunt, Linda, and cousin, Melissa, also attended the event.
young woman she is today. I know she wouldn't be [be] here without the help and support of everyone who has helped her along the way. I think one of the really important things to Listen
and Talk is to create a culture a strong environment for everyone with hearing loss to be able
to grow and foster into unique individuals who excel in their own things. We would not be
the people we are today without their love and support."
Last, but not least, Listen and Talk’s Discovery room was dedicated to Carol Randall, one of Listen and Talk’s first board members, who recently passed away, with a red sign with speech balloons. Carol’s sister Joan, niece Kathy and nephew Dan were there to accept the honor on her behalf. They all spoke about how much the organization meant to Carol and about how she worked tirelessly for Listen and Talk.
“On behalf of Listen and Talk, I thank all of the donors and families who made this room naming ceremony possible,” says Executive Director Maura Berndsen. “Revealing three of the named rooms with these generous families made the evening so special for us.
of Commerce as well as honoring the three rooms. The Discovery Room [has been] dedicated to Carol Randall. She is a founding board member. What an incredible history for Listen and Talk. What a journey they've been on. Here's Carol's legacy of what she's done. I'm so honored to continue that legacy for Listen and Talk. It was such a special moment to see how many lives
Listen and Talk has impacted. My own family with my daughter -- we’re just so blessed and
thankful for the fact that we're in this incredible building being able to dedicate these rooms.
I really want to honor all those who [have] dedicated their love and support for Listen and Talk."
The ribbon cutting and room naming ceremonies made for a night to remember. A great time of connection and celebration was had by all afterwards during the Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce’s After-Hours Networking Events where we enjoyed food, drink and getting to know one another. We look forward to collaborating more with the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce as we anchor our impact in the communities
near and far.
Listen and Talk would like to thank and acknowledge the following individuals and organizations who made our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Room Naming Events happen:
- Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce Vice President Beth Gale and Event Assistant Rachel Morgan for being co-hosts of our Ribbon Cutting and After-Hours Networking Event.
- City of Kirkland Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold for being an officiant of our event.
- Listen and Talk’s Executive Director Maura Berndsen for hosting the ribbon cutting.
- Listen and Talk’s Development Coordinator Latife Lacin who partnered with Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce and handled all of the logistics in ensuring this event was a success.
- Listen and Talk’s Marketing Manager Linds Phelan for handling all of the design, marketing and communications in promoting this event and for filming event festivities.
- Listen and Talk’s Administrative Assistant Kristin Hill for writing this article, assisting with all of the logistics, event planning, ordering of the name room signs and photographing this event.
- The Catering Company for providing us with delicious appetizers and drinks.
- The Tube Art Group for making these gorgeous signs for our classrooms.
For more information about the Ribbon Cutting and Room Naming Ceremonies, please contact Listen and Talk at: marketing@listenandtalk.org.
