Dear Friends,
First, I would like to thank everyone who participated in our GivingTuesday campaign! We collected donations totaling $425 in support of the library. I’d like to recognize Andrew Gaeta specifically for their donation of $100 or more. Thank you for your generosity!
I recently had the opportunity to speak with the Library Board of Trustees at their quarterly meeting about our important work. I shared how the Friends of the Library support CRRL, raising funds through the Friends Center & Bookshop, bookshops in branches, and through membership drives, to sponsor programs such as Uniquely art shows, Music on the Steps, the Johnny P. Johnson Teen Art Show, the Claudia Emerson Teen Poetry Contest, and the Teen Stop Motion Video Contest. The Friends also support professional development and team-building, printing for customers, and occasionally help with other needs, such as replacement book carts.
I also provided them with the 2023 Friends Treasurer’s Report and the FY24 Expense List. The Board had questions about where the books we sell come from (most are donations) and if our group is entirely volunteer (we are!) They were also interested in our sponsorship of the library’s Rachel’s Dream project, which was a one-off project to publish a juvenile novel written by local historian Ruth Coder Fitzgerald.
Feedback was positive, and I am glad to have had the opportunity to give the Board an overview of the essential support the Friends give the library.
Although 2024 is coming to a close, we have so many exciting things to look forward to in the next year, including an after-the-holidays book sale, Membership Month, and our annual meeting. We’ll have more information on all of those in the coming weeks.
Thank you for all you do to support the library and lifelong learning for everyone in our community!
Sincerely,
Salem Waters
Friends President
