Responding to community need after a personal time of trial where she found herself alone with no one to turn to for help, Katie Ritchie created Deborah’s Palm, a women’s center in Palo Alto offering resources, counseling, classes, and comaraderie to women of all ages walking through its doors.
Resource center, sewing/craft room, Katie Ritchie (all smiles), library
And welcoming doors they are. After years of dreaming, studying, and planning, Katie successfully transformed an 1896 Queen Anne Victorian (formerly a bed and breakfast) from the foundation up into a cheerful, comfortable, and accessible refuge: a home away from home. The center is a reflection not only of her good taste and capable hands, but ~ most important ~ of her caring and loving heart.
Garden flower at Deborah's Palm
Staffed by compassionate and knowledgeable volunteers, Deborah’s Palm – in addition to a library, meeting spaces, kitchen, exercise room, sewing center, Internet alcove, offices, and information kiosks – also features a newly landscaped flower garden alongside three towering palm trees and a white picket fence. When I visited in early June, yellow dinner plate dahlias, sweet peas, and blue hydrangea filled the beds, while luscious pink peony bouquets graced the center’s interior.
Upstairs meeting room expresses Katie's vision for Deborah's Palm: A place to "Connect, Discover, Unwind, Restore"
It was fun to check the schedule to see what gatherings Deborah’s Palm had scheduled for the month: sewing, quilting, cooking, knitting, baking, gardening, weight training, yoga, and healthy eating classes; book club discussion and readings; and two free special lectures: Got Issues Workshop and Detecting Depression in Teens & Young People. Quite an impressive selection for having opened just a month ago!
And ~ knowing Katie~ there will be further transformations as she and Deborah’s Palm continue to respond generously to community need. 
Deborah’s Palm is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located at 555 Lytton Avenue in downtown Palo Alto, California (94301). Office Phone: 650/473-0664, Fax: 650/473-0660. Email: info@deborahspalm.com. Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A special Thank you! to Jane Benson for introducing me to Katie Ritchie and Deborah’s Palm.
