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WINNER
- Friends of the Cranbrook Public
Library
Random House of
Canada Friends of the Year 2005
Award winning friends in Cranbrook
Great examples of
dedicated, committed community volunteers
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Jim Abbott, MP, presented the
Random House Award to the Friends of the Cranbrook Public Library on June
26.
From left to right: Ursula Boy (Secretary), Marilyn Forbes (President),
Pat Casey, April Baldwin (Vice President), Don Ohs (Past President), Jim
Abbott (MP), Terry Burgess (Treasurer), Ken Strang, Karen Hendren and
Michael Sharkey. Absent are Elaine Karras and Lois Pratt. |
Friends of the Library worked to develop a sense
of positive energy and change within the community of Cranbrook and the
surrounding rural area. The idea behind this was to present both the
organization and the Cranbrook Public Library as agents of progressive
development within the community. This was designed to blend with a forthcoming
referendum on a new Library facility, which succeeded.
The Friends “exemplified all that one could wish
from a community group.
Highlights of their past year’s efforts:
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Sponsoring a $140,00o+ grant that provided seven
full time workers for the library for 8 months, cleaning and repairing 70,000
items in the collection and inserting magnetic security strips
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Surveying the city’s youth, and creating The Hub
– both a physical space for youth and a portal web site specifically for youth
– see
www.cpla.cranbrook.ca/hub/index.html
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Securing partnerships in the community resulted
in donations of $31,750.80 to the Cranbrook Public Library
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Promoting the involvement of teens in the
Cranbrook Public Library, believing that only by building committed readers in
the age category will the Library continue to survive through time
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Facilitating in-kind donations to the Cranbrook
Public Library which included three new computers, new library furniture for
The Hub, and more than $20,000 of magnetic security tape
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Publishing a Friends newsletter and creating a
new Friends of the Library web site
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Producing six event plans which assist in making
the chosen FOL events easier to produce, more goal orientated, and ensure that
all events are directed toward the Friends mission of making the Cranbrook
Public Library an outstanding civic institution accessible and important to
everyone in the area.
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Purchasing and promoting prizes to support
Library events such as a Sister City Reading Challenge
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Production and installation of a full suite of
Library signage covering every aspect of Library activity
Nominated by Darrell White, member of Friends
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