| Dear Members of the Friends of the Riverhead Free Library,
You may have learned that Rosalie DelQuaglio has resigned as President of the Friends on September 15 due to family obligations. Pursuant to Article IV, Section 7 of our bylaws, the Board appointed me as President for the balance of Rosalie’s term. I will also continue to serve as Treasurer (with the help of Vanie Tuthill) and as Chair of Outreach. Linda Prizer will remain as Secretary and take on the additional role of Vice-President, assisted by Laurie Lauterbach. Barbara Goss continues to manage the Wednesday sales in the courtyard outside of the Yellow Barn as well as serving as Membership Chair. Gena Harsch is on a temporary maternity leave and welcomed a gorgeous baby girl into the family on September 17. Thelma Booker serves as Member-at-Large on the Board and will assist with exhibits in the Overton Gallery. So we are all doing multiple tasks.
We welcome new members to the Friends and have extended membership through the 2020 year. Paid dues will carry through until April 2021. We also welcome volunteers and ideas for fund-raising during this time of COVID restrictions. The Library is open for limited patron browsing and for curbside pick-up. Many activities, including exercise classes sponsored by the Friends, are being held through Zoom and are very popular and well attended.
If you looked at the Riverhead Local on line (https://riverheadlocal.com) you might have seen an article by Peter Blasi about the award of bicycles by the Friends to Kristopher Depaz and Ayaan Geer, two children who are the latest to have completed the “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program. This program helps to develop life-long readers. Both Kristopher and Ayaan loved the program, reading, and their new bicycles!
The Friends mission is to support the Riverhead Free Library in programs that provide educational and cultural opportunities for children, teens, adults, Veterans, and seniors. This year has been difficult, not only due to necessary safety precautions during the pandemic, but because we have not been able to utilize the Yellow Barn for indoor sales during the spring, summer, or fall. The Board of Trustees has contracted to construct an auxiliary building that will allow the sale of used books until the historic Yellow Barn has been repaired and compliant with safety measures.
Although we currently have limited funds, the Friends have pledged $10,000 to the Executive Board to help defray the expense of this building.
The Board wishes you a healthy and safe autumn. Please check the Friends website as well as the RFL website for information about upcoming programs and meetings. We continue to meet virtually until larger gatherings indoors are safe and permissible. The next virtual meeting of the Friends will take place on Monday, October 19 at 1pm. Instructions for accessing this meeting will be posted and emailed to you.
Thank you for your support of the Friends and the Riverhead Free Library.
Marcia Littenberg
President, Friends of the Riverhead Free Library |
