Fundraising Activities on the Rise

A number of plans for fundraising that have been under discussion for a long time are finally being put in place.  A grant from the Dyson Foundation shortly after the Pleasant Valley Free Library Board of Trustees funded a study by an outside consultant of whether or not Pleasant Valley could support the cost of expanding the Library.  Although that report was positive about fundraising in the Valley, it also leaned toward beginning with a large grant from a foundation, to be followed by extensive local fundraising among patrons of the Library. For some time after that, the principal goal of Library Building Expansion was directed toward obtaining that one big grant, which failed to be obtained (at least so far).  The time was not wasted, for during this period our architect drew up a general plan for expansion, the plan was reviewed by local builder Joe Kirchhoff and his staff, the site was surveyed, and discussions were held with various local groups.  But not much money was raised.

More recently, the fundraising arm of the Building Expansion Committee turned the process around.  We decided to begin with the people of Pleasant Valley and other patrons of the Library, while also reaching out for funds from various sources. Much of the original money was to go to shoring up the Manse instead of directly being applied to a fund for building expansion, for we realized that if the Manse was to continue to be the heart of the Library, it needed to be protected, preserved, and updated.  Thus we replaced the old windows with new ones that preserved the style we would use in the new wing.  Meanwhile, renovations to the second floor and attic have strengthed the upper levels of the Manse.  Recently letters have gone out to our State Senator and Assemblyman asking for help from New York State for other necessary repairs and upgrades. 

Parallel with these efforts we started using the Community Fund of Dutchess County to help create a building fund that could be the basis of the planned new wing. With their help we can now accept donations online from this blog or from the Library Website. We also sent a fundraising letter to the residents of Pleasant Valley and Salt Point, which brought in several thousand dollars for the building fund.  We have started a series of tours of the Library to raise awareness of the problems more than to raise money.  We are also planning a series of fundraising events.  Watch for announcements of these on the blog and in the new electronic newsletter we are starting.