Submitted by: The Whatcom County Library Foundation
The Whatcom County Library Foundation (WCLF) has named Friends of the Point Roberts Library as the recipient of a $10,000 grant for the Point Roberts Library Building Fund.
WCLF awards a grant each year to a library program or capital improvement project for the Whatcom County Library System. Since its inception in 2006, the Foundation has provided nearly $150,000 in funding and grants.
“Typically our capital grants have been smaller, but as our Foundation has grown, so have our grant awards,” said Amy Puderbaugh, WCLF Board Chair. “We are so pleased to give a grant of this size for such a worthy endeavor.”
The Friends of the Library have been fundraising for five years and have secured more than $560,000 in private funding. A building levy on the November 2016 ballot would have covered the remaining $300,000 needed to begin the project, but just missed getting the 60% majority of votes needed to pass.
“The Foundation’s board of directors decided to act following the disappointing levy election,” said Jennifer Rick, WCLF Development Director. “This grant will help bridge the funding gap,” said Rick.
Currently, the library occupies 900 square feet in the Point Roberts Community Center at 1487 Gulf Road, which is owned by the Point Roberts Park and Recreation District. The new library, to be located next door, will be three times larger. The Whatcom County Library System will provide staff, services, library materials and furnishings for the new space.
Whatcom County Library Foundation has provided capital grants to the Ferndale, North Fork, Deming and Lummi Island library branches. Additionally, the Foundation provides funding for Whatcom READS!, the Summer Reading Program, Books for Babies and specialized reading programs for at-risk teens.
To learn more about Whatcom County Library Foundation, please visit www.wcls.org/library-foundation.
