2016 Dues

Thank you to Friends who have renewed memberships for 2016.  We are happy to see the remittance envelopes in our mailbox:

The pile of mail you see in this photo yielded $850 in dues. THANK YOU!

We much appreciate the generosity of Friends who choose to contribute at levels well above the minimum $10 rate. We are glad, too, to have Friends members contribute $10, indicating a desire to stay on our mailing list and be a Friend.

Not visible in the photo are renewals arriving via PayPal (the DONATE button on this page).   If you are reading this page and didn't recently receive a letter from us, you may use that button to send in dues ($10, or above) and inform us of your current address.

We are using a new system for tracking memberships, and have had some delays in getting everything set up.  No formal request for dues was sent out in 2014/15, so we may not have your current contact information. We voted in 2015/16 to change the renewal cycle to calendar year – simpler to understand and remember. Dues paid now will cover the membership period January-December 2016.

Our letter requesting 2016 dues was dated February 29 and mailed late that day. Our membership chair, Pattie Lumbra, began processing the renewals on March 9. We look forward to receiving more renewals in our mailbox in the coming days and weeks.

Pledge fully paid!

At the Friends of the Library board meeting tonight, our treasurer wrote a check for $6,273 to make the final payment of our pledge to the Capital Campaign. We posed for some photos as we handed the check to Roxann Callender, HPLC Liaison to the Friends, and Andrew Parker, HPLC Financial Manager.

From left to right, in photo above, are five current officers of the Friends:  Elizabeth Veillette (Secretary), Barbara Raines (Treasurer), Sandy Ward (President), Dottie Blain Hamel (Corresponding Secretary) and Kate Kruckemeyer (Vice President), with HPLC Board member Roxann Callendar and Financial Manager Andrew Parker at right.

We smiled and applauded, and poised for a few photos of this significant milestone in our history of our support for the Holyoke Public Library.

Posing in front of publicity photo of our original pledge made in 2009.

We are delighted to have completed all the payments towards our $100,000 pledge to the Capital Campaign.  We are proud to have helped in the creation of "The Library for the 21st Century."  A formal plaque recognizing our donation can be seen in the Children's Room (Level 2 of the new addition); you will find it at the entrance to the Activities room. We are the donors of the "Storytelling Area" there.

Sponsors for "Mini Golf in the Library!"

We are recruiting sponsors for the April 9th "Mini Golf in the Library" fundraiser.  A formal letter of request from Friends President Sandy Ward, and an accompanying Sponsorship Form, are available. Please email   friendsofthehpl [at ] gmail [dot] com  if you haven't yet been contacted by us and would like to become a sponsor. Since early February Sandy has been sending emails to potential sponsors and actively knocking on doors of Holyoke businesses.

We are DELIGHTED to report the positive responses from these companies and individuals:

As of 2/12/16:
Kim's Holiday Cleaners, 20 Forestdale Rd, Holyoke – cash donation
River Valley Counseling, 303 Beech St, Holyoke – SPONSOR of a HOLE!
State Representative Aaron Vega – SPONSOR of a HOLE!
Nick's Nest – 2 gift certificates
Aaron's, 740 High Street, Holyoke MA – SPONSOR of a special HOLE!

Stay tuned.  We're adding to this list as commitments roll in.

UPDATE 2/16/16:
 Finegold Alexander Architects, Boston – SPONSOR of the 1st HOLE!

2/17/16:
 Westfield Bank – SPONSOR of the 18th HOLE!
 Holyoke Gas & Electric Co. – EVENT SPONSOR at the SILVER Level!

2/18/16: Sponsorship Form revised to add new options for Event Sponsors, ranging from $350 (Bronze) to $1000 (Platinum), and to remove the premium holes (1st and 18th), which have already been sponsored.  

Ross Insurance Agency, 150 Lower Westfield Road, Holyoke – SPONSOR of a HOLE!

2/19/16:
Reliable Computer, 867 Main St, Holyoke – SPONSOR of a HOLE!

2/22/16
Tea Cups on Linen, www.teacupsonlinen.com – SPONSOR of a HOLE!
CareerPoint, 850 High St, Holyoke – EVENT SPONSOR!

2/23/16
Sherwin-Williams, 2221 Northampton St, Holyoke – Donation of auction item: premium paint, brushes, rollers for 1 room (walls, ceiling, and trim - color tints of your choice). Value over $200.

2/24/16
People's United Bank  – EVENT SPONSOR at the SILVER Level!
Holyoke Hummus Company – Food cart (falafels) in front of library April 9
Hot Oven Cookies – Food cart (milk & cookies) in front of library April 9

2/25/16
Springfield Symphony Orchestra – Voucher for 2 Tickets to concerts. $130 value.

3/2/16
Conklin Office Furniture – SPONSOR of a HOLE!
Log Rolling Catering- Catering Division of The Log Cabin – Food truck with lunch options.
Friends of City Hall, HolyokeStainedGlass.org – Donor of auction items

3/3/16
Williamson Commercial Properties, One Monarch Place, Suite 1810, Springfield – SPONSOR of a HOLE!

Open Square, 4 Open Square Way, Holyoke – SPONSOR of a HOLE!

3/10/16
HAP Housing 267 High St, Holyoke – SPONSOR of a HOLE!

3/14/16
Hadley Printing, 58 Canal St, Holyoke – Will print Scorecard
Holyoke Signs & Designs, 62 Main St, Holyoke – Will help with signs

3/16/16
Children's Museum at Holyoke, 444 Dwight St – Gift Certificate for Family Membership

3/17/16
Cracker Barrel, I-91 & Whiting Farms Rd, Holyoke – Gift Certificates for Kid's Meals
Homewood Suites by Hilton, 375 Whitney Avenue, Holyoke – Gift Certificates

3/18/16
Homewood Suites by Hilton – SPONSOR of a HOLE!

3/29/16
Mass. Surgical Supply – SPONSOR of a HOLE!

Mini Golf in the Library!

Come play miniature golf inside the Holyoke Public Library!  Save this date:

Saturday April 9, 2016  9:30 am-4 pm

Last tee-off: 3:30 pm

An 18-hole course has been designed. The first four tees and putting greens will be on Level 4, in and around the Non-fiction stacks and Reference stacks. The 5th hole will be on Level 3, near an exhibit of historic photos of the old Mt. Tom Golf Club. Play will continue through many holes in the Children's Room on Level 2, and then down the stairs to the Fiction Stacks, Level 1, and the Teen Room on the ground level. The 18th hole will lead to the Community Room for refreshments and raffle. Don't miss this unique event organized by the Friends of the Holyoke Public Library. 

This is a family-friendly event. All ages welcome.  $5 to play. Discount rate for young children.

Library services will be open the usual Saturday hours (8:30 am-4 pm). Certain area (for instance, the Computer Room) will be undisturbed by the golf course.

This mini-golf tournament is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Holyoke Public Library, which in turn provides support for library programs and services. Major funding will come from local businesses that sponsor "holes" on the golf course or choose other ways to underwrite the event. Such sponsors will be announced here and on signs in the Library.  Stay turned.

We also ask you to save Friday evening April 8 for a related event, especially if you want to preview the course and practice your skills. And, if you'd like to volunteer to help with course set-up Friday afternoon, let us know.  

Happy New Year!

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!  

The Friends of the Holyoke Public Library had a very successful December, with many sales of ornaments, afghans and other Friends merchandise. We completed an inventory today and have deposited the sales income into our bank account. Thank you to all who purchased gifts at the Library this month.

Friends Book Sale; Afghan; Cabinet of Friends merchandise for sale

Thank you also for visiting our used book sale, which will continue into the new year. We are delighted to report that this new initiative, launched December 1st, has now earned enough income to cover the set-up costs (purchase of bookcases and the pay-box). We passed the break-even point on December 28.  Money collected from now on supports our mission.

Thanks to such fundraising we are able to contribute funds to the Library. For example, we delivered a check for $3,179 today to the Holyoke Public Library to "sponsor" a year's worth of these significant subscriptions:

• Ancestry.com - Library Edition (accessible on computers in the Library)
• Heritage Quest Online (accessible at Library and to library-card holders at home)
• Miss Humblebee's Academy, an early literacy program accessible on computers at the Library and to library-card holders at home).

Gifts available

We are offering for sale many items appropriate for gifts in the holiday season.

The Friends cabinet is full...

and Friends volunteers will be in the Library lobby today (Saturday Dec 12) 1:00pm-3:45pm and Monday 3:00-6:00 pm with a table display.  Please come by!

Ornaments for sale

Click on image to enlarge

These historical Holyoke ornaments designed by the Friends of the Library are for sale at the Holyoke Public Library.  Prices are $14 (top row) and $18 (ones with red ribbons).

Each brass ornament (top row) is finished with 24k gold and comes in a velour holder with a brief description of the significant Holyoke building or scene depicted. From L to R above you can see the Holyoke Opera House, Scott Tower, the Library, Holyoke City Hall, and the Elizur Holyoke car of the Holyoke Street Railway. We also have the Holyoke Dam.

The colorful ornament on the bottom row shows one of the stained glass windows in City Hall (1876). It comes in a box with a description of its history.  The silvery ornament celebrates the Holyoke Train Station (designed by famous architect H.H. Richardson).

You can see additional Friends merchandise, including the popular Holyoke Tapestry Afghan ($50) and several historic books ($20 each), displayed near the Circulation Desk in the Library. Come shop for gifts in the library!  Members of the Friends will be on hand at certain hours in this holiday season, but at any time the staff at the Circulation Desk can assist you in purchasing these specials items.  Proceeds of the sales benefit the Friends of the Library.  Thank you!