For 138 years the Effingham Public Library has shared many authors’ stories of fantastic worlds, tragic tales, historical figures, events, and more. Imagine how many stories will be written about this unique period of time! Every donor, patron, and Effingham County resident will have their own unique story to tell.
Just like with all of you, the hard times caused by the pandemic is part of our story. The library board and staff are working so hard to ensure that we are always right here for our community.
2021 has been a year of rebuilding and new growth for the Library. We have used this year to reinvest in our core programs and services. The Library focused on rebuilding the Summer Reading Program and was able to achieve 1,000 participants in the program. We have also relaunched RAISE, the free after school program for 6-8 graders. Our social service case managers have also been busier than ever, assisting over 3,000 people to date with a variety of needs.
We are asking you to reinvest in the Effingham Public Library as well. Technology plays an increasingly critical role in our lives and the Library needs to keep up in order to provide the best possible service to our community. But, we have also seen an increased need in safe shared public spaces, which is a role our Library building fund provides every day.
Additionally, in early 2021, we were contacted by the estate of Dr. Herbert Austin regarding a legacy gift he left to the Library. We plan to invest this gift into our endowment fund and would ask the community to match those funds as well.
Our fundraising goal for this year is $100,000. Matching Dr. Herbert Austin’s gift through the endowment fund will allow us to continue to invest in the future of the Library as well as provide for our technology and building needs today. Your donation will help us stay up to date and keep our building open so the community can access critical technology services, engage both youth and adult learners, and continue to serve the community for many years to come.
If you have any questions, please contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.
All the best,
Amanda McKay
Library Director
