Newsletter l January 2024

President's Message

Hello & Happy New Year!

The Friends Board of Directors is nothing but joyful as we exit 2023 and embark on 2024! We have our collective eyes on the mission of supporting the outstanding Rockwall County Library. We hope to see you all this Spring!

Scroll ALL the way through the Newsletter & then be sure to make a trip to the Rockwall County Library. There is always something GOOD happening there!

In FRIENDship,

Carrie Pickell

Library Happenings

All Aboard the Polar Express!

The Library hosted the annual Polar Express event in December and over 200 children attended. Everyone enjoyed meeting all of Santa’s helpers who came to the Library to help with the story walk.

The Library extended a big thank you to all who helped with the event, including volunteers Rosemary Nguyen, Doreen Miller, Susan Laszynski and volunteers from the Texas Pearl and Lone Star chapters of NCL, Friends of the Rockwall County Library and Rockwall High School Theater.

Do you have a reluctant reader or an emergent reader who could use more confidence reading aloud in a low stress environment? Sign up for 6 sessions (one each week) with Savvy and Susan!

Savvy and Susan are a R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assistance Dog) certified team who volunteer at local elementary schools and now our Library! They are dedicated to skill-building and reading reinforcement. Savvy and Susan will be doing a series of one on one sessions to help children who need a little encouragement and confidence to flourish.

There are limited spots for this six-week reading commitment. Children must be independent readers and ages 5-8. For questions or to register your child, call 972-204-7740.

Check out the Library Newsletter using the link below. It is filled with LOTS of good information and more upcoming activities!

Library Newsletter

Library Hours:

Monday 10:00AM - 6:00PM

Tuesday 10:00AM - 8:00PM

Wednesday 10:00AM - 6:00PM

Thursday 10:00AM - 8:00PM

Friday 10:00AM - 5:00PM

Saturday 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Sunday - Closed

Rockwall County Library website

February 13 General Meeting

Our guest speaker for the February 13 General Meeting will be Kathleen Cunningham.

Kathleen studied ballet from the age of four, dancing with the Houston and Dallas ballet companies. Later on, she danced professional ballroom exhibitions with her husband, Randy. She then combined her talents for speaking and dancing to present engaging talks and books about dance and show business.

In 2005, she created the Speakers Bureau at the Dallas Arboretum. Kathleen led the Speakers Bureau for ten years before retiring to devote her time to her book reviews and other programs. She is a member of the Dallas Professional Book Reviewers.

For FOL in February, Kathleen will tell us about the love story of Betty White and Allen Ludden who were considered Mr. and Mrs. TV in the 1960s and 70s. Kathleen will base her program from two different books, Here We Go Again by Betty White and The Life (And Wife) of Allen Ludden- It’s More than Just Password by Adam Nedeft.

So join us in February for valentines and romance.

And remember the day’s password is “Love Story.”

Tickets are $20 and include lunch. Click below to purchase tickets by February 6th. Any questions regarding reservations should be sent to friendsrockwallcountylibrary@gmail.com.

Valentine themed lunch menu:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Taco Salad

Chocolate assortment – Red Velvet Cake, Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake, and Chocolate Cookies

Black tea, Hibiscus Tea, and Water

All General Meetings and are open to the community and require reservations.
A $20 reservation includes meeting, program, and lunch. Prepaid Tickets through website/PayPal.
Contact Jeanie Wheeler, sunny42@mail.com or 214-789-7184 for reservation without lunch or to pay by cash/check.
A $5.00 reservation includes meeting and program only, for a maximum of five persons.

Purchase Tickets Here

Holiday Fun!

The months of November and December were packed with special events for Friends of the Library. Special thanks go out to all of our sponsors and table hostesses that made FRIENDSgiving and the Annual Christmas Luncheon Events to Remember!

Many thanks to the table hostesses for dressing each table in spectacular holiday fashion.

Membership

FOL membership runs June 1 to May 31 annually. Use the QR Code to renew or start your membership today! And please consider inviting your friends to become a Library Friend!

Individual memberships are only $15 and a Family membership is $30.

Other memberships available include:

Supporter $50
Patron $100
Sponsor $250
Partner $350
Benefactor $500
Bronze Champion $1,000
Silver Champion $2,500
Gold Champion $5,000
Platinum Champion $7,500
Legacy $10,000

Friends Membership

Business Membership Spotlight

We thank these businesses for supporting Friends of the Library and the many programs that the Library offers!

Jackson Automotive - Partner
MBN Printing - Partner
Lisa Epstein - Sponsor
Heritage GMC - Sponsor
Oncor - Sponsor
American National Bank, Susan Burt- Patron

Each month we will continue to feature our different business partners here. If you wish to join or renew your business membership, please use the QR Code above. Your membership is GREATLY appreciated!

Announcements

Nominations for 2024-25 Board of Directors

The FOL Board of Directors serve a one year term beginning May 1 through April 30. The elected officers are:

President
President-Elect
First Vice-President for Programs
Second Vice-President for Fundraising and Special Events
Third Vice-President for Membership
Fourth Vice-President for Business Membership
Fifth Vice-President for Communication
Secretary
Treasurer

Details about each position can be found on the FOL website under the ByLaws and Standing Rules links.

If you are interested in a Board position for the 2024-25 year, please email:

friendsrockwallcountylibrary@gmail.com

with “Board” in the subject line no later than January 15^th, 2024.

The Nominating Committee for 2024-25 as approved by the current Board of Directors: Kathleen Evans, chair; Kathleen Broze; Leigh Wilcoxson; Margaret Davidson and Leigh Plagens.

The Hartman Award is given annually to a FOL member who has performed over and above the requirements of their position and has promoted the Library and FOL beyond required activities. The recipients of this award have been people who willingly gave of their time for the good of the Library and FOL.

The nomination deadline is March 31, 2024

Send nominations or questions to friendsrockwallcountylibrary@gmail.com

Any member in good standing may submit a nomination.
Previous Hartman recipients and the current President are not eligible for nomination.

Nominations should be in writing with a brief statement of between 100 and 175 words, giving the reasons why this member deserves to receive the award. Before submitting the nomination, the individual must be contacted for permission to place their name before the general membership for a vote. This is also an opportunity to get information to include in the supporting statement.

*If you are a previous recipient of the Hartman Award and received a piece of the Hartman China, please email friendsrockwallcountylibrary@gmail.com.

Tickets for General Meetings and Special Events must be purchased no later than seven days prior to the event.

More Good Stuff

Book Discussion Group

The Book Discussion Group will meet at 9:30am on January 8, 2024 to discuss Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes. Come and join us!

February's book will be We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter. Book discussion will be on February 12, 2024 at 9:30am.

Literacy Center

The Adult Literacy Program has convenient class schedules, including weekend mornings and select evening classes. Tutors are local volunteers and there are no fees for the program classes. There is a small fee for books.

If you have any interest in volunteering as a tutor, please contact the Literacy Center at (972) 204-7705.

The Citizenship program in the Adult Literacy Center is off to a wonderful start in 2024 with a celebration of 28 (possibly 29) new U.S. citizens on Saturday, January 20 at 10:30 am in the Community Room.

All Friends of the Library members are invited to attend this very special event.

Book Alcove

Looking for a way to help the Library, but don't have a lot of time? The Book Alcove is looking for volunteers to help out on Wednesdays from 1:30pm - 3:30pm.

You will work alongside Lynn sorting books and helping with other tasks associated with the Book Alcove.

The Book Alcove is accepting book donations every day the Library is open. Funds raised from the sale of these items go towards Library needs and programs offered.

Friends of the Library is proud to partner with Meals on Wheels Senior Services to offer homebound clients books through the Book Alcove. Lynn carefully selects books per genre or title requests and they are delivered each month with meal delivery. Donations matter. Keep this in mind as you clean out your collections.

Once Upon a Time...

Friends of the Library | www.friendsrockwall.com

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