Supporting Lifelong Learning
Supporting Lifelong Learning
Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library is once again participating in Birdies for Charity in partnership with the WM Phoenix Open and Thunderbirds Charities on February 6-12.
This fundraiser works just like a walk-a-thon, except instead of pledging for every mile completed, you pledge a set amount (as low as $.01) for every birdie scored by a golfer at this year’s tournament.
With over 1,300 expected birdies, putting in your two cents will still generate plenty of money for the Friends (1,500 birdies at a $.02 pledge would equal a $30 donation). You can also pledge a flat amount.
This is one of our favorite fundraisers for the year, for a few reasons:
To participate in Birdies for Charity, visit tinyurl.com/splbirdies2023 and select “Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library” when prompted for your charity. All pledges must be received by 5pm on February 13.
Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library will be partnering with BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in Desert Ridge (21001 North Tatum Blvd) to receive 20 percent of food sales on February 1.
From 5pm to 10pm, you have three options to participate in this BJ’s fundraiser:
BJ’s has something for all the food lovers in your family, including burgers and steaks, pizza and pasta, and soups and salads.
While known for its large selection of beers, the Friends will only receive a portion of proceeds from food and non-alcoholic beverages.
The Friends has raised over $1,700 through restaurant fundraisers in 2021 and 2022, and this is a delicious way to continue supporting the library. Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you on February 1.
Please join us in congratulating the 2022 Spirit of Literacy Award (SOL) winners: Peggy Sharp Chamberlain, Phillip Payne, Mariko Whelan, and the Literary Society of the Southwest (LSSW). The awards will be presented on Saturday, November 5.
Since 2002, the SOL Awards recognize significant contributions to support libraries and literacy in Scottsdale by individuals, corporations, foundations, and other entities. The Friends Board of Directors selects the winners annually.
Sharp Chamberlain was a six year member and former Chair of the Scottsdale Library Board. She also served three years on the Friends Board of Directors and re-launched its membership program, in addition to providing authors for children’s programs at the library.
Payne is the owner and artist-in-residence at Anticus Fine Art Gallery/Independent Bookstore in Old Town Scottsdale. He hosts author presentations and book clubs, and has partnered with the Friends and LDV Winery on three art, book, and wine pairings during 2022.
Whelan is the Early Learning, Youth & Teen Services Coordinator for Scottsdale Public Library. She is a published author who presents at conferences on early learning, and facilitates programs sponsored by the Friends such as Family Read Aloud Nights and Girls in STEM.
LSSW provides grants to community organizations with literacy missions and hosts luncheons with author discussions. LSSW provided funding to the Friends for the SkyRoom renovation and FRAN program.
For the first time, the 2022 SOL award presentations will be open to the public as they will be incorporated into the Scottsdale Library Cardholder Celebration on November 5 at Scottsdale Stadium. The awards will be presented at 6pm.
The Friends of the Scottsdale Public Library celebrated “We Love Reading” month with a high tea celebration featuring 18 guests, six local authors and an afternoon of fun on February 24.
TeaTime Scottsdale served as host for this sold out event. Guests enjoyed multiple varieties of tea, sandwiches, and desserts while discussing books with authors Dan Baldwin, Donis Casey, Dianne Freeman, Karen Odden, Betty Webb, and Dianne White.
To ensure a safe and intimate event, each table featured three Friends members and an author. While the event was not exclusive to Friends members, they received a $10 discount on tickets. In all, 14 of the 18 attendees were Friends members.
The Friends want to extend a special thank you to Sonoran National Insurance Group for its sponsorship of this event.
The event was such a success that a sequel is already being discussed. In order to receive priority notice (and discounts) for all Friends events, consider becoming a member today.
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.