Dear Friends,

April was a fantastic month for the Friends of the Library! Our Membership Month drive brought in more than $8,700 in dues and the Membership Month book sale held at the Friends Center & Bookshop raised another $3,100. Of course, it is never too late to renew your membership--visit the Friends of the Library website today to join for another year!

We would like to share a special congratulations to the winners of our Membership Month gift baskets. The winners were chosen at random from everyone who joined or renewed during the month of April:

• Denise G. - Household
• Kristin L. - Tobin Society
• Sue B. - Rappahannock Society
• Mary S. - Cote Society

Congratulations and thank you for being a Friend!

Central Rappahannock Regional Library’s 2026 Claudia Emerson Teen Poetry Contest ended with a lovely reception on April 30 and the Friends once again provided cash prizes for the contest’s six winners. All of the winning poems, including Honorable Mentions, are highlighted on the library’s website. I encourage you to take a look and have a read – there are some very talented young writers in our region and we are proud to contribute to this important event.

The Friends also help fund aspects of the library’s Staff Day, typically held on the first Friday in May. Staff Day is an opportunity for staff across all ten library locations and the Library Administration Center to gather together, celebrate their accomplishments, take part in team building activities, and listen to engaging speakers. This year’s event included presentations by cozy mystery author Mindy Quigley and Dr. Anand Rao, Director of the Center for AI and the Liberal Arts at the University of Mary Washington; an innovative team “project” designing mock prototypes for the Library of Things collection; and recognition of staff who achieved milestone years of service. The employees of Central Rappahannock Regional Library are vital to the organization’s success and supporting their continuing education and honoring their hard work is an important focus of the Friends’ monetary support.

Finally, we would love to learn more about your motivations for becoming a Friend and what this group means to you. Whether you joined for early book sale access or out of appreciation for a specific library class or resource, your story might be exactly what inspires someone else to join next! Please fill out our short survey and share why you’re a Friend of the Library.

Thank you all for your membership, your support of our organization, and for continuing to champion our wonderful library system!

Salem Waters, Friends of the Library President

Name: {Contact_FullName}

Membership renewal date: {Member_Upcoming_Renewal_Date}

Click the button below to renew your membership!

Although Membership Month has passed, it is never too late to renew your annual membership with the Friends of the Library! Your renewal date is listed above. If your membership has expired, click the button, and you'll be directed to the Friends website to complete your renewal.

Contact the Friends' Library liaison, Planning and Development Specialist Lisa Gray, if you have any questions.

If you haven’t already done so, check out the Friends’ online store, featuring a selection of clothing and accessories in two fun designs. In less than one month, we have already sold 51 items and raised $390! Items are printed on demand at no cost to the Friends or the Library and will ship directly to the address of your choosing. Proceeds from all sales will go to support our library.

We are also working on an exciting new design for the summer, so stay tuned for that upcoming announcement!

Please fill out this short survey and let us know why you chose to join the Friends of the Library!

Please share this email with anyone who might be interested in joining the Friends.

The Friends of CRRL is exempt from federal income tax under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3). Donors can deduct contributions made to the Friends under IRC Section 170.

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