Where the welcome mat is always out

A dining room at the Mirabeau Park Hotel buzzed with conversation during the monthly meeting of Spokane Compass Club.

Women greeted each other like old friends – which many of them were, but newcomers were welcomed with the same warmth.

That’s because the club’s mission is to cultivate friendship among new arrivals to the Spokane area and to introduce them to what the region has to offer.

Formed in 1948, the women’s club survives and thrives because it’s adapted to changing times. The group used to gain members by including information in the Welcome Wagon basket given to new homebuyers in the area.

“We’re not in the Welcome Wagon basket anymore,” club President Shari Russell said.

Instead, they’ve joined the digital world.

“We’re on Facebook and Meetup,” she said.

The Compass Club is so named because members come from all points of the compass.

For example, Ann Fly is from Sweden. She came to the U.S. in 1962. Fifteen years ago she moved to Spokane to be near her son.

“My son told me, ‘Mom you can’t expect people to come knock on your door,’” she recalled.

So she went to a meeting at the Sons of Norway and met a Swedish friend who brought her to Compass Club. When she became a U.S. citizen in 2015, more than a dozen Compass Club members attended the ceremony.

From September to June, the group meets for lunch at different venues around the area.

When Linda Milsow moved to town in 1984, she saw a blurb about Compass Club in the newspaper.

“I didn’t know anybody,” she said. “We met at The Crescent and the minute I walked in the door someone kind of adopted me. For the next several months she would pick me up and take me to the meetings.”

In addition to monthly luncheons, the club has a wide array of hobby groups.

“It’s part of our claim to fame,” Russell said.

Groups include Quilt and Stitch, Happy Hikers, Theater Goers, Books and Coffee, Culinary Corner, Garden Club and Wine Tasting Group.

Milsow joined a gourmet group. “That’s where my husband and I met our closest friends,” she said.

The affinity groups allow members to connect around favorite activities. Recently, the 16-member Quilt & Stitch group donated more than 87 lap quilts to the Spokane Veterans Home.

As the membership changes, so do the hobby groups.

“We used to have a Mom and Tots group, but like so many clubs we’ve aged out of that,” Russell said.

While philanthropy isn’t the purpose of the club, each year they choose a local nonprofit to support and raise funds for that organization throughout the year.

Currently, Spokane Compass Club has an estimated 160 members and the luncheons attract anywhere from 60 to 100 attendees.

Russell said the $20 yearly membership dues are a bargain and they are always looking for members. You don’t have to be a newcomer to the city to join; membership is open to women of any age who want to enjoy camaraderie and connection.

“Our mission is friendship, friendship, friendship!” Russell said.