Today is Arizona Gives Day, and this year the Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library is raising money for one of our signature programs: the 2nd Grade Library Card Campaign.

We’ve set a goal to raise $1,000, which will allow us to provide a free backpack to 400 Scottsdale second graders who sign up for their first library card.

Each year, Scottsdale Public Library staff work with schools in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley to promote the program to as many second graders as possible. During the 2019-2020 school year, 234 second graders signed up for their first card, with 6,058 subsequent checkouts.

This is the first year the Friends has participated in Arizona Gives Day since 2018, but we raised over $900 through the early giving period that began on March 16. While you can donate to the Friends year-round through Arizona Gives Day, donations received today make us eligible for bonus prizes.

We received some extra promotion for Arizona Gives Day this year through an article in the April edition of Scottsdale Independent.

If you’d like to help us reach our goal, simply visit https://www.azgives.org/scottsdalelibraryfriends and click the green Donate button.