To the editor:
On behalf of the Abbot Public Library Foundation’s (APLF) Board of Directors, I want to thank this paper, the attendees, the sponsors, and the community of Marblehead for so generously promoting and supporting the inaugural Library Gala, hosted by APLF and held at the Thompson Estate on June 16.
The event was a great success with over 170 people attending, securing more than $175,000 net towards the $2-million campaign for technology enhancements and infrastructure maintenance that was promised when the town voted in favor of the override to renovate Abbot Public Library in 2021.
I want to especially thank Meryl Thompson, chair of APLF’s Gala Committee, her husband Chris, and the entire Thompson family for providing the beautiful venue for the foundation’s first Gala.
I also want to acknowledge and thank the other Gala Committee members: Laurie Flowers, Maeve Rice, and John Donovan; Gene Arnould for emceeing a lively “Fund-a-Need” auction; the 15 students from Marblehead High School’s National Honor Society for their help with seating and auction “spotting;” Lisa Hooper and the Council on Aging for providing the shuttle service; Dave Rodgers and the Veterans of Foreign Wars for lending us their parking; and Superintendent Amy McHugh of the Water and Sewer Department for quickly responding to our calls to avoid any potential issues.
As you can see, this event was truly a community effort!
As president of the APLF and former vice chair of Abbot Public Library’s Board of Trustees, I have a clear view on what our library offers. There is no public institution in our town that provides and promotes the diversity of choices for all constituencies of every age category to access knowledge and lifelong learning. It is the most welcoming, equalizing, open, and safe gathering place for all to enjoy reading and accessing books, publications, programming, and a myriad of digital services. And it’s all free with your library card!
Under the leadership of our outstanding Library Director, Kimberly Grad, and Trustee’s Board Chair, Gary Amberik, we will be reopening the permanent home of the library on Pleasant Street in late spring of 2024. The newly-renovated library will be outfitted with amenities you would expect in a 21st-century facility.
It has taken taxes and private dollars to establish, maintain, and grow Abbot Public Library since its humble beginnings as a study room at Abbot Hall in 1877. It has been YOUR support and YOUR loyalty as part of this steadfast partnership and legacy that has made it one of the most important public resources in our community for these past 146 years.
With your continued support and commitment, I’m confident that our library will fulfill its mission to meet the needs of the 21st century and beyond for many generations to come. Please join us and our growing community of library enthusiasts to help raise $2 million toward keeping the promise to ensure this vision. For more information, go to www.abbotlibraryfoundation.org.
Sincerely,
EuRim Chun
Abbot Public Library Foundation
Marblehead