Supporting Lifelong Learning
Supporting Lifelong Learning
Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library would like to thank Arizona Cardinals Charities for donating $5,000 toward the Summer Reading Buddies program in 2023.
The program is designed to mitigate the “Summer Slide,” the loss of reading and writing skills over summer vacation that delays learning during the new school year.
The target audience for this program is 30 to 40 first to fourth graders in South Scottsdale. It last ran in 2019, providing six weeks of services for an average of 22 students.
The money will be used to purchase new Chromebook laptops to incorporate a technology component during summer reading. Since the program is volunteer-led, costs are restricted to technology, subscriptions, supplies, and refreshments.
You can find dates for this program on the Scottsdale Public Library website. To learn more about programs funded by the Friends, visit our Programs page.
For the third year in a row, the Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library is supporting the Summer Reading Program (SRP) to fund prizes for recipients of all ages.
The theme of this year’s program is “Oceans of Possibilities,” and many of the prizes purchased by the Friends are sea themed. This includes beach balls, fish squirters, and stickers. The Friends also supplied items for teen volunteers helping with the program.
The program runs from June 1 through August 1, and participants will receive one point for every minute they log of reading time at https://maricopacountyreads.org. Over 4,000 people have already registered.
Prizes can be earned starting at 250 points, so there is plenty of time left to participate. Other prizes this year include vouchers from Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, Peter Piper Pizza, Raising Cane’s, and Rubio’s, Phoenix Mercury tickets, and an Arizona State Parks pass.
The Friends is also supporting the Girls in STEM program, which takes place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in June and July at Civic Center Library. This program promotes careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) for female students (though males are allowed to participate) in sixth through eight grade with 90 minute sessions of hands-on activities.
Friends’ funding will support supplies including forensic science kits, chemistry sets, and star gazing kits, in addition to speakers and specialists on STEM topics.
You can support these and other free programs at Scottsdale Public Library branches through a Friends membership.
Scottsdale Public Library re-opened its storytime room, now known as the SkyRoom, at Civic Center Library on May 12. The ceremony included an open house and a storytime for two and three year olds.
The room renovation began in 2021, and more than doubled the size of the space to 3,428 square feet. TheSky Room also features a new audio/visual system, a flat screen Smart TV, and other technological components.
SkyRoom sponsors Fiesta Bowl Charities and Literary Society of the Southwest were both recognized during the opening remarks. Fiesta Bowl Charities also presented an oversized check and award to the Friends as one of its 2021 grant recipients.
The overall cost of the renovation was nearly $500,000, and the Friends donated $28,000 during the Phase 1 construction. Phase 2 funding is now underway, where Friends will raise an additional $28,000 to furnish the space with tables, lounge seating, and custom shelving.
If you would like to donate to this campaign, please visit our Storytime Room Expansion page. If you would like to enjoy the new space with your family, check out the library’s schedule of upcoming Family Storytimes.
The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library honored the 2020 and 2021 Spirit of Literacy Award recipients at a breakfast at Civic Center Library on November 5.
This year’s event honored two years of winners because the 2020 breakfast had to be postponed due to COVID-19. All honorees were selected by the Friends Board of Directors.
The 2021 recipients included Jim & Sandy Bruner, Christine & Rick Kovach, Teresa Kim Hayes-Quale, and Karen Yamasaki. The 2020 recipients were Lois McFarland, David & Diana Smith, and the Silverman Family Foundation.
Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega presented the seven awards, and historian (and former Friends Board President and Spirit of Literacy Award winner) Joan Fudala wrote up introductions highlighting their candidacies.
The honorees included three former City Councilmen, three former Library Board members, and three Scottsdale Leadership graduates. All have been loyal advocates and fundraisers for Scottsdale Public Library.
The Spirit of Literacy Awards were first awarded in 2002, and have recognized individuals, foundations, and corporations who support libraries and literacy in Scottsdale. For a full list of previous winners, visit this page.