Thank You, Sedona and Beyond!

Thank you! I don’t know what else to say, so I’ll say it again. Thank you.
 
Over 210 donors stepped up to support Sedona Public Library in our 2020 end-of-year campaign.
 
With your help, we met the matching gift provided by a long-time donor and volunteer. As your support poured in, the match grew from its original $15,000 to $30,000. We met that final matching gift amount by December 29, and the gifts continued coming in through midnight on New Year’s Eve. Thank you!
 
Joel DeTar, Board of Trustees President, beamed with gratitude at the news of the successful campaign. “This is unprecedented,” he said. “And it’s due to an unprecedented number of generous supporters. Thanks to each and every one.”
 
There has not been a show of support in an end-of-year campaign like this for Sedona Public Library since we first began this fundraising effort several years ago. We are proud to know that you believe in Sedona Public Library’s mission, something that is especially meaningful during these crazy times. Libraries matter, and you embraced the importance of this wise investment.
 
This vote of confidence bolsters us as we move through our days; your generous investment is as good as marching orders for our future. We’ve listened. We are so glad to know the community cares, and that you’re watching.
 
The words “engage, inform, enrich, and inspire”—as our mission promises we will do—were not all that guided us in 2020. We were also led by community needs and our new goal of providing safety and comfort during a pandemic. Technology improvements, air quality upgrades, Covid-19 safety standards, curbside and doorway holds pickup service, and our new online programs are just a few of the things we did last year. Going forward? Judy Poe, our new Library Director, has weighed in.
 
“We are working on big plans for this coming year,” Judy said. “We are finishing up a broad and successful Community Needs Assessment project that will inform our work on a brand new strategic plan for the Library.”
 
While a library might be an assumed part of a community (not unlike a water company, post office, or playground) we want Sedona Public Library to stand out as the center of the community. As reliable as a water company, but as unique as the people who use our services. “We want our library to pique your curiosity,” Judy explains, “as well as satisfy your need for information, engagement, entertainment, connection, and access.”
 
Thank you, again, for your support and trust in Sedona Public Library. Times have changed and continue to change. We will always work hard to stay up to date, and better yet, to stay more than a step ahead. May your New Year be full of hope, health, and hugs. Thanks again.

Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization where your gifts are always welcome. Learn more at sedonalibrary.org/donate.

​Sedona Public Library
Column for January 15, 2021
Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director

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