Announcement of a $200,000 donation from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation drew a round of applause from the crowd of over 100 that gathered in Jewell Park Saturday to celebrate the Pacific Grove Library’s 110th birthday and kick-off a 110-day fundraising effort for the $2.5 million library Renewal Project slated to start this summer.
The birthday party was organized by Friends of the Pacific Grove Library, a non-profit group focused on supporting the library with volunteerism and fundraising and the Library Advisory Board.
Library Director Scott Bauer welcomed the crowd and introduced speakers including Pacific Grove Mayor Bill Kampe, architect on the project Karin Payson, Friends president Kim Bui-Burton, Library Advisory Board Chair Nancy Enterline, and several others who spoke on the importance of the library to the community.
Attendees could bid on a Little Free Library replica of the original Carnegie Library, make birthday cards, create a FacebooK print by local artist Barbara Lee Furbush, and make a donation—all proceeds going to the renewal project.
The Carnegie Library replica is a Little Free Library (https://littlefreelibrary.org/), constructed by local residents Don Livermore and Bill Pagano as a “Built for Books” fundraiser for the Library Renewal Project. It is on display at the entrance to the Library. A silent auction is being conducted at the Library until Friday evening, July 6, 2018, where the highest bidder and lucky recipient will be announced at the Pacific Grove Public Library Closing Reception that evening.
The replica was constructed with local, historic, repurposed materials including a 1930s record player stand and a bookcase from the Holman home on Lighthouse Ave. It has been weatherized and is ready to be put to use to promote reading and literacy.
Nancy Enterline announced that, thanks to a request from Julie Packard, the Renewal Project just received a lead gift of $200,000 from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. She noted that the Foundation was very pleased to support this important project to benefit our community for generations to come.
Bui-Burton also announced that the Packard Foundation gift, joining contributions from the City of Pacific Grove, Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library, Pacific Grove Public Library Foundation, the DeWitt Foundation and generous individual donors has raised 80 percent of the $2.5 million goal of the Renewal Project.
