Financial Institutions. Insurance companies. Hospitals. Stores. Utility companies. They all want your money, right? And if you’re like me, you might roll your eyes or mute the TV when commercials come on and you hear companies who want your money telling you how much they care. But here’s what I’ve learned. More often than most people realize, local companies and organizations quietly support literacy in your community. From volunteering, to book drives, to financial support, companies you do business with every day step up to make a difference in the lives of their community. They don’t tell you about it in a commercial. They don’t call the media to announce it. Some gifts are small and some are large, but all of them are the result of someone in a position of leadership who understands that they are not just in it for profit, but also for good.
Here at Greenwood Public Library our goal is for our community to be 100% excited about reading, and dozens of supporters want to be a part of that mission. They know that when a community reads, it succeeds – higher rates of literacy mean higher graduation rates, a better prepared workforce, and fuel for the battle against poverty.
The public dollars we receive through property taxes and local income taxes help us support our facility and our staff, but the funds donated through our Friends of the Library organization help us shine. We like to say that our library budget can provide the “How” and the Friends of the Library and donors provide the “Wow!” Some of the “Wow” that you will see as you walk through our library includes our amazing teen room, the new children’s play area, and our Century of Reading sculpture. And did you know that ALL of our programs are funded by donations? Every story time. Every game night or craft club. Large community events. Every guest speaker. All of summer reading. Wow.
On our 100th birthday, Home Bank surprised us with a gift of $15,000 toward our new Children’s play area. PNC chipped in to fund the baby crawl space, and Mrs. Curl helped us add some local flavor. This new space was over a year in the making and has added some serious Wow in the imagination department.
This summer we are thankful for our sponsors who have enabled us to Read Wildly! Franciscan Physician Network, Mutual Bank, IU Credit Union, Citizens Bank, First Merchants Bank, Reis-Nichols Jewelers, Gregory and Appel Insurance, Vectren, and Walmart. If you haven’t signed up for Summer Reading yet, there’s still time!
For a full list of our donors, please visit our Friends of the Library donor page. There you will find the names of some businesses you probably frequent. Please take a moment the next time you see them to thank them for supporting literacy in your community!
