April 24 is Library Giving Day, a national day commemorating the importance of libraries across the nation and in Canada. Enjoy refreshments, fun programs, pop-up events, and music & stories all day long at both Sedona library locations. It will be a great day to celebrate and support the dreams that take flight at your Library.
This year’s ambassadors are the Ferchoffs, a fabulous family of individuals who live for new ideas and turning them into reality. For instance, learning how to fly. That was just an idea they had, but then it turned into their goal—and their first step? They visited the Library where they researched and learned all they needed to know—what to read, where to go, who to talk to, how to sign up—to learn how to fly. Next steps? Implement what they’d learned, and in a matter of months, they made their dreams come true. Now, Bella and her dad Ryan have both recently earned their private pilot’s licenses. Ava, Elly, and Sui-Wai, have all passed the preliminary state tests, and for them, obtaining their licenses is just a matter of time.
“Would the two of you ever fly alone with your older sister?” I asked the two younger girls, thinking of my own two daughters, albeit a bit nervously, being in a rented airplane together, and alone. “We already have flown with her,” they responded in unison with huge smiles.
Those smiles reflected this family’s true love and appreciation for their local library. “We love that the library is open and available for everyone. It is like a tree, and you just have to pick the fruit,” Sui-Wai said. “We love the library’s connection to Embry Riddle (one of the libraries in the Yavapai Library Network). We have used the heck out of this connection.”
Ryan agreed, noting that, “We teach our girls to be individuals, leaders, self-sufficient, caring, loving human beings who share their gifts and experiences with the world. The Library helps make this possible.” The Ferchoffs homeschool their daughters, and the Library is one of their most vital resources in that endeavor.
From scuba diving to helping their parents with remodeling a kitchen, from downhill skiing to getting their licenses to fly hot air balloons, this family is always seeking, and always learning. On top of being delightful, and funny, their well-rounded adventurous spirits make them perfect Library Giving Day Ambassadors.
The Ferchoffs are a perfect testament to the fact that supporting your Library literally makes dreams come true. And three other library fans have sweetened the deal. Thank you to Gordon Reiter and Mike and Susan Williams for putting up a total of $30,000 in matching gifts for this year’s campaign. If you make a gift now through April 24, your investment in the community’s dreams will be doubled, dollar for dollar. Whether you direct your support to either location, you can help turn dreams into reality.
What’s on the docket for the big day? Library Giving Day will be a fun opportunity to join library lovers across the nation in celebrating the resources and adventures libraries provide. Plan for fun at both locations on April 24, and music! The Ferchoff sisters will give a violin recital (yes, they’re musicians, too!) at the Library in West Sedona, and at the Village Library you can enjoy music by Joya Oh Boya, Gioia Quisumbing who is a local and well-loved musician! Also at the Village, you can experience two new pop-up DIY programs: Decorate Your Own Notebook when you can personalize a journal for yourself or as a gift; and Tranquil Lavender Moments when you can make a lovely, calming sachet, a perfect mini meditation to keep in your car for those frequent and agonizing traffic moments.
New this year at both libraries is the Uncharted Horizons Poetry Contest! From April 8 through Library Giving Day, April 24, you can hang your verse on the PoetTree! Then, a select panel of library staff will choose the best poems and announce the winners and awards by the end of the month. Stay tuned for details, and in the meantime, get writing! Maybe you find inspiration in the spring weather; or maybe you lean into imagining mythical creatures. Maybe it’s the local landscape or a favorite librarian? Whatever it is, sharpen your pencils and explore your poetry prowess!
Library Giving Day is an opportunity to spread the word about adventurers like the Ferchoff’s, and how important the Library is to families, students, explorers, neighbors, visitors, and more. Please be a library ambassador! Make a gift, and share your love of the Library with the people you know, or don’t? Ask the customer in line at the grocery store if they’ve seen the watercolor exhibit. Tell a neighbor about the Longevity Society and the free olives and olive oil. Bring your grandkids to Storytime!
Remember, all gifts will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $30,000, now until April 24! We can’t wait to read your poems, greet you at an event, sit by you at a program, and definitely see you on Library Giving Day. Visit Sedonalibrary.org/donate to make your gift today.
As published by Red Rock News
Library News Column for April 5, 2024
Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director