I was recently thumbing through a magazine on various topics about non-profits. One article that caught my eye explained how people are looking for meaningful and easy ways to give back to their community – ways which give them a sense of pride and lead to valuable results. In thinking about this, I immediately identified service opportunities that, with someone agreeing to volunteer, could impact the Library and the lives of our growing patron base!
Why support your Library? There are many reasons. We are an information and community center – a vibrant organism exuding a legacy of our great heritage and building bridges to tomorrow. Offering a wide scale of reading material, technology, and multi-themed programming, the Library staff and its environment promote life-long learning. With literacy being a fundamental purpose for the Library's existence, there are library services for everyone! Knowledge and information spring up in many different formats and cover wide ranges of subjects that effectively enhance our lives. Persons who experience all the rich Library resources glean more from this place than they will ever be able to give back. Talk about a wise and generous investment opportunity that impacts the citizens of Decatur County! The value of the Library cannot be contained within its walls and the returns are endless.
Who invests in building the future of the Library? Our Friends of the Library group choose to give much needed additional monetary support to supplement the Library's modest budget. As advocates for the Library, they embrace our vision -- impacting our county in educational, informational, cultural, and recreational ways.
Becoming a Friend is very easy! Our annual membership starts as low as $5.00 per person and $10.00 per family. Yet, any kind of support we receive, either through the various levels of Friends memberships or forms of volunteering, enable us to offer much more to the public. Both Friends members and patrons who frequent the Library lend a hand in doing a variety of tasks. Several enjoy organizing and selling books at our used book sales. Some help with sign-ups, face painting, or serving punch at our more popular programs. Others do something as simple as dusting our many book shelves. We hope as people make contributions to the Library environment they feel a sense of pride and ownership.
Noticeable results are important when you do make an investment. If you are wondering what projects the Friends of the Library have accomplished over the past few years, there are more than I could possibly write about!
Technology is a driving force at the Library because of how quickly it has advanced and affected all of us. Over the past two years, our Friends have supplied funding for new computers and printers within the Library that are continually in use. These computers provide Internet access to many individuals who cannot finance a computer of their own. The Friends of the Library also recently purchased an LCD projector that allows librarians to display presentations for those who attend our classes and programs. This useful equipment is also available to non-profits who use our Library meeting rooms.
The Library is committed to reach every child within our district. The Friends back this goal by partnering with Healthy Families of Decatur County to place new books in the hands of young mothers who deliver a baby in Decatur County Memorial Hospital. The small gifts promote family reading time and remind new parents that the Library is just around the corner! In addition, one-third of the revenue the Friends collect each year through fund-raisers supports our Summer Reading Program. This successful event caters to over 1,800 children and family members by providing reading incentives for all ages, a special track for teens, and entertaining learning experiences.
It is rare that a program is hosted at the Library in which the Friends have not played a part. With their help, we are able to purchase refreshments and prizes that add a special touch to whatever we attempt – whether for children, teens, adults, or the entire family.
I've just scratched the surface of all the amazing things the Friends of the Library help to make happen! Benjamin Franklin once said, "A good friend is a great treasure." We who work at the Library would agree with his statement and applaud our Friends and loyal patrons who are truly the heart and soul of our organization.