The sixth annual Library Giving Day campaign was a success—thank you! A campaign like Library Giving Day is all about discovery, about getting to know the community better, and your support means there will be even more fun, free, interesting, and engaging things to do. Thanks for the advocacy and the guidance.
Library Giving Day is about celebrating local libraries across the nation. But really, it was a day like any other, just with a lot of extra marketing, and lots of donuts. There aren’t always free donuts, not yet anyway, but there is always a celebration of stories, art, nature, literature, knowledge, and music. Definitely, music.
The three amazing Ferchoff sisters, 12, 15, and 17, who were this year’s campaign ambassadors, provided a lovely violin recital on Library Giving Day in the Community Room in West Sedona. And at the Village Library, Gioia Quisumbing (Joya Oh Boya), a well-loved local musician, entertained listeners who stopped by. Whether it’s music performed by or for young ones, singing by Red RockAppella, or music that explores cultural history, you never know what you might hear at the Library.
Library Giving Day spotlighted the popular Crafter-Noon, a delightful craft experience for little ones who made funny bunnies and giggled the whole time. Claire Obermark, a regularly featured storyteller, again charmed audiences around our Friends Fire Circle taking advantage of the fresh spring evening. And then there was the popular, all-ages, Free Flow Paint Night, an opportunity to get creative and brainstorm with other artists, no pressure, lots of fun, and all for free.
Visitors at the Village Library enjoyed the all-new pop-up craft opportunities. Tranquil Lavender Moments allows you to create fragrant, calm moments with a handmade sachet. Readying themselves for summer adventures, participants loved stamping their own journals at the Decorate Your Own Notebook pop-up event. Several mentioned that they were excited to use their new journal for sketching and taking notes on their next hike.
Library Giving Day has also come to mean the annual Poet-Tree which gives writers an opportunity to post their poems and show off their wordsmithing talents. This year there were prizes for the best entries, and here are the poems from the winning poets who each received a leather-bound journal.
The Temple of the Fox, by Stephen Stobinksi
Soaring on storms of light, down to the starlit sea,
Skimming across a glass-edged hull.
Runes of power driving us forward.
Two hundred days of shadows before the arcane twilight.
Magic’s in the very air,
Wrapped in mystical cloaks against the flowing wind
on a voyage to the Temple of the Fox.
Upon the Curing Altar, luminescent threads dance on you.
Essences flow to wholeness, awake, take my hand
and sail on unending time.
I Used to Sleep, by Sharon Madison
I used to sleep a
fluid sleep where
dreams transported me
to far-off lands and lingered
in the day.
But now my bones defy the night
and dreams retreat before dawn.
I cannot find the angle of repose,
and rest gives way to reading
‘til the light.
And now that spring has arrived and the weather is perfectly perfect, summer adventure plans are surely underway, what do you need to fine-tune them? A book? A map? A class? A craft? Or something totally out of the ordinary? Chances are it’s available or it could be. What would you like to see your library do?
Thank you to all our library champions: musicians, poets, artists, donors, and more who participated in the 2024 Library Giving Day campaign and made an online gift, mailed a check, performed, listened, dropped cash into a gift box, or attended events and programs. Extra special thanks to matching gift donors, Gordon Reiter and Susan & Mike Williams who provided the $30,000 match. Your investment is what makes dreams take flight at the Library. Thank you!
Your support makes a huge difference to our community. Sedona Public Library is an independently run, 501(c)(3), privately owned, debt-free, non-profit organization providing public services. Support comes from the City of Sedona; your property tax dollars from Coconino County; some of your property tax dollars from Yavapai County, and businesses, foundations, and individuals like you, and the amazing Friends of the Sedona Library who have supported the Library for more than 55 years. Please visit us at sedonalibrary.org.
As published by Red Rock News
Library News Column for May 24, 2024
Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director