At the beginning of October when Alexandra Bake, our Time to Renew fundraising chair, received the pledge for a matching donation up to $100,000, our goal for the month was set.
Visits to service clubs, a second round of letters requesting donations, and visits to individuals and businesses continued in earnest. At the same time gala chair Amy Shubert was holding weekly meetings with her crew crafting ambitious plans for what resulted in a triumphant sold-out evening. For those of you who have requested that this be repeated I will quote Edward Shubert: “There were two sequels to The Night At the Museum movie that inspired our event.”
Another successful event in October was “Linwood Barclay in Conversation with Vicki Delany.” This evening was again a capacity crowd and provided humour and entertainment aplenty for all in attendance. As well as scripting the questions for Linwood’s interview, Vicki also on behalf of the Women Killing It Crime Writers’ Festival presented the fund with a cheque from some of the proceeds of that very successful event.
Our tag days during Ontario Public Library week proved to be cold, wet and windy. However, thanks to some very hearty volunteers the library fund received a $3,000 boost. Many thanks to Debbie MacDonald Moynes and Brenda Porter and the Picton Rotary and many others for their help with this initiative.
So, all this to say that as of 3:08, October 30 as I write this the library expansion fund has exceeded the October goal. Today alone, donors dropped off $10,000 bringing out total to $105, 350 with one day yet to go before month end. So our goal that seemed quite daunting on Oct. 1 has been exceeded as of October 30. This brings our fundraising total (without the $100,000 matching) to $1,372,489. In October, 285 individuals and clubs have contributed to help the library to maximize the matching pledge.
Our work is not done of course, but Bake and her committee are buoyed by this October’s outpouring of support. We are exceedingly grateful to the individual who made the generous pledge that the community came forward to double.
Coming up in November we have some special events. Friends of the Picton Library Doug and Evelyn Sloane have organized an art show entitled “Art on the Shelf: A Symbiotic Relationship Between Art and Literature.” Opening night is Nov. 16 from 7-9 p.m. at Macaulay Museum. Opening night features Don Hinde on cello and Roger Scannura on flamenco guitar. The show will be open 12-5 p.m. for three weekends — Nov. 17-18, 24-25, and Dec. 1-2.
Additionally in November is an evening with Carol Off, writer, journalist, award-winning documentarian, broadcaster, and host of CBC’s As it Happens. This evening of stories, readings and a question and answer period is taking place Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 335 Main Street East, Picton. The tickets are $25 and available at all library branches as well as online at timetorenew.ca. Proceeds, of course, to the Picton library branch expansion.
From Nov. 12-24 the Picton LCBO will be accepting donations at the checkout counter. Watch for the bubble with Tim Snyder’s Picton branch depiction on the counter.
McDonald’s in Picton during their $1 dollar coffee promotion will be accepting donations for our Time to Renew Campaign. This takes place Nov. 19 to Dec. 16 inside the restaurant or at the drive through window.
Thank you to the donors, volunteers & community partners that are helping build a new library for Prince Edward County.
– Barbara Sweet