NEW: Central Falls Library Gets Boost from Alec Baldwin’s Foundation
Thursday, October 06, 2011
A heart for arts and lit: Alec Baldwin. Photo Flickr/Viva Vivanista
The Adams Memorial Library in Central Falls has announced an outpouring of local and national support in the wake of forced closure earlier this summer, highlighted by a $10,000 donation from the Alec Baldwin Foundation.
The Foundation, led by Emmy Award® and Golden Globe Award® winning television, film and stage actor Alec Baldwin, avidly supports the arts and education. This generous donation arose after the actor read about the library's plight in the New York Times and joins others large and small that have helped the Adams Memorial Library increase its staffed hours by 66%. The once-shuttered library can now open its doors to be opened to the public five days a week.
"Stunned and thrilled"
Said library Trustee Jerauld Adams, who himself helps staff the library, “I am absolutely stunned and thrilled by the support and generosity of the Foundation. There is nothing more important than making sure the city's children have access to after-school reading opportunities. Many of them are only able to do their homework here, as we have the books and internet access that they need. These donations are already making a real-world difference in these kids' lives.”
Reopened by volunteers after the financially-beleaguered city cut off all funding, the Adams Memorial Library recently held a nationally-celebrated Autumn Gala fundraiser to increase hours of operation and programs. The closing of the library in the wake of the city's filing for bankruptcy struck a national chord and donations continue to flood in from around the United States. One donor from New York City provided an annual $3,000 grant to provide courses in positive psychology for children, an apt gift to the city's largely impoverished populace.
Major part of $100K goal
The fundraiser and donations, which so far total $40,000, are a crucial part of the $100,000 the 101-year-old library is aiming to raise to provide computer literacy courses, career development training, and new e-book lending, among other expected programs. The library sees its role as not just as a community hub but also as a source of economic development, cultural enrichment and more.
The funds raised so far have not only increased the library's open hours, they are also being used for events such as the upcoming Halloween Movie Fest on October 29. This family-friendly event that will feature movies being projected against the back of the library's iconic Greek Revival structure. Says Trustee Adams, who is proud of his commercial popcorn machine, “This is a very low-cost way of keeping the library central to the community. Families can come down, watch some free movies and share some popcorn. What's better than that?”
Donations can be made at www.CFLibrary.org.
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