“And now a word from our sponsors...”
Back in the day, this was the way that TV shows transitioned to advertisements, as the show spokesperson introduced ads from Folgers, Betty Crocker, Pledge, Ivory Snow, or Marlboro. Today, as back then, it may also be a signal that you have a minute or three to run to the kitchen for a snack.
I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about our Friends of the Brown County Library sponsors, and I hope you’ll stick around to hear (read) the pitch. That’s because, along with you, our donors and dues- paying members, the support of our sponsors goes a long way toward making our activities a success. You may not be aware of them all, so let me take this opportunity to recognize them.
Our supporters of the Give-A-Kid-A-Book (GAKAB) campaign include both monetary sponsors and helping partners:
GAKAB SponsorsNicolet National Bank St. Augustine Stewardship Fund Green Bay Packers Give Back Green Bay Area Retired Men’s Club Rotary Foundation of Green Bay Allouez Optimist Club Brown County Community Women’s Club De Pere Christian Outreach Festival Foods WPS Foundation Altrusa International of Green Bay Schreiber Foods GAKAB PartnersWBAY-TV2 Lion’s Mouth Bookstore Barnes & Noble
GAKAB SponsorsNicolet National Bank St. Augustine Stewardship Fund Green Bay Packers Give Back Green Bay Area Retired Men’s Club Rotary Foundation of Green Bay Allouez Optimist Club Brown County Community Women’s Club De Pere Christian Outreach Festival Foods WPS Foundation Altrusa International of Green Bay Schreiber Foods
GAKAB PartnersWBAY-TV2 Lion’s Mouth Bookstore Barnes & Noble
In addition, we also have general sponsors that offer shopping discounts for Friends members:
Membership SupportThe Attic coffee shop Powers Comics and Collectibles Lion’s Mouth Bookstore
Nicolet Bank stands out in their support. In addition to their funding contributions and the placement of our donation boxes in their branch locations, it’s the volunteer efforts of their employees that set them apart. It’s always encouraging to see the army of Nicolet Bank employee volunteers in their green shirts (see photo below) setting up the GAKAB displays and helping to run the semi-annual book sales.
WBAY-TV has provided longtime support to the Friends, donating production and airtime for our GAKAB public service announcements, and broadcasting live promotional Noon Show interviews with our GAKAB and Book Sale organizers.
Altrusa International is an example of a newer GAKAB sponsor. Last year, they were looking for a way to support a local literacy cause (one of their organization’s main missions), and they decided that GAKAB fit right in with that objective.
Powers Comics and Lion’s Mouth also serve as partners for the yearly Brown County Library Pop ConTM convention, a Library event that the Friends sponsor. In addition, Lion’s Mouth also helps with GAKAB by maintaining an in-store donation box, helping shoppers with a GAKAB Wish List and personal assistance, and providing an online shopping page on their website.
Each of our sponsors has a special story, and I could go down the list and thank every one of them. Their invaluable contributions make GAKAB and our entire mission possible. We encourage readers and members to support them any way they can.
That being said, there are always more Friends sponsorship opportunities to help GAKAB as well as our other early literacy programs, including Born to Read and Stages and Pages. We invite firms and organizations who have an interest in helping us fulfill our mission, to consider supporting the Library’s mission for local literacy.
If you are interested in joining the cause, please contact us at info@browncountylibraryfriends.org for more information.
It’s back-to-school time! These could be either exciting or dreaded words, depending on the outlook of both students and parents. Regardless, one of the first signs that summer vacation is coming to an end is the need to stock up on this year’s school supplies.
For many families, this time only marks a transition from fun and play to school time regimen. For some families, however, it is a challenge to provide their children with the new clothes, shoes, backpacks, and school supplies they will need to help ensure a good start to a successful school year. Thankfully, there is help.
For the past two years, the Salvation Army of Greater Green Bay has joined forces with the Service League of Green Bay, Howe Community Resource Center, and Newcap to present the One Stop School Shop, where families shop for backpacks and age-appropriate school supplies. At the One Stop School Shop’s Resource Fair, representatives from local social service agencies and nonprofits provided community resources and assistance. The Library, represented by volunteers from the Friends of the Brown County Library, offered free dictionaries, flyers with Library locations and hours of operation, and free pencils and stickers for families. In addition, the Bookmobile was stationed just outside the doors so families could check out books and sign up for Library cards for their children.
As we talked to families at our table, we made a point of asking them if they already had Library cards, with the intention of directing them to the Bookmobile to sign up. We were quite delighted when many parents shared with us that their families already had Library cards, which branch they used the most, and which Library programs they looked forward to at those branches. Several remarked how much they were looking forward to the new Library locations soon to open in Ashwaubenon and Denmark.
It was both gratifying and heartening to see how many families had already steered their children to the Library. A simple Library card opens so many doors to Library materials, programs, and services for these students.
It’s a good reminder to all Friends members how important a role our donations and volunteer hours play in our community. Thanks again for your continued support for both the Friends and for your Brown County Library. We saw firsthand that your help truly does make a difference.
It’s hard to believe that the NFL Draft is over. What took nine years of proposing and planning was over in just a few days. Congratulations to everyone who helped make it happen, from the NFL, to the Green Bay Packers, to the local governments that planned and coordinated the logistics of accommodating 220,000 fans (and that was just in the venue itself, not counting the thousands more who came to Green Bay to watch the Draft in nearby establishments!), to the temporary workers and volunteers who directed fans, helped with activities, planted flowers, and so much more.
While much occurred at the Draft venue itself, it doesn’t take into consideration all the other Draft-related activities in Downtown Green Bay and surrounding areas. Most of these were planned and run by volunteers who wanted to enhance and expand the visitor experience. It’s safe to say that Green Bay planners, attendees, and volunteers stepped up in a big way! But really, that shouldn’t be surprising. Green Bay locals have a way of coming forward and stepping up when it comes to matters and causes important to our community.
Whether or not you helped with the Draft, if you’re inspired by what volunteers can accomplish and want to throw your weight behind a cause, the Friends of the Brown County Library has opportunities for you. We are on the forefront with helping the Library promote literacy in our families, schools, and community. We raise funds to finance our own literacy projects (Give-A-Kid-A-Book, Born to Read, Pages & Stages) and to help to fund Library programs and activities that reach out and engage kids’ thirst for knowledge and the reading that will get them there. We have opportunities for all levels of interest, from working a few hours for our BIG Book Sale right up to a seat on our board to help determine and facilitate the course of the organization.
Literacy may not appear to be as grand an undertaking as accommodating more than a half million people for a few-day event, but in the long run, it has its own importance and sense of accomplishment. The impact of literacy is something we can see in the children and parents who directly benefit, as well as in the quality of life in greater Green Bay communities. We invite you to consider joining the movement. For more information, please send an email or leave us a phone message and we will get right back to you.
Email - info@browncountylibraryfriends.org Call to leave a message - 920-448-5811
Annual Give-A-Kid-A-Book Campaign Celebrates 35 Years
Green Bay, WI – The Friends of the Brown County Library and honorary chair, Bre LaFleur, wife of Green Bay Packers Head Coach, Matt LaFleur, announce the launch of the 35th annual Give-A-Kid-A-Book campaign.
The annual book collection invites individuals, families, businesses, churches, schools, clubs and organizations to donate new, unwrapped books that will be given as gifts to local children, babies through age 18, in low-income families. Book distribution takes place in partnership with the Green Bay Salvation Army Holiday Assistance program in December.
Give-A-Kid-A-Book kicks off in the Youth Services Department of the Brown County Central Library, 515 Pine Street, downtown Green Bay on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. Featured guests include students from Tank Elementary School, Bre LaFleur, Friends representatives, and others. Give-A-Kid-A-Book is partially funded by Nicolet National Bank, Augustine Stewardship Fund, Green Bay Area Retired Men’s Club, Allouez Optimist Club, Green Bay Packers Give Back, Brown County Community Women’s Club, and Festival Foods.
The Friends are making it easy to donate - shop online and in-person!
Perk (purk) Short for perquisite.1.n. A reward or added benefit received in addition to a regular satisfaction.2. v. To become more cheerful and lively.
Why do people join and remain members of the Friends of the Brown County Library? In its most basic sense, we hope that they believe in and want to support our mission, which is to help the Brown County Library in its broad efforts to improve childhood, teen, and adult literacy in the county.
But let’s be honest, the perks sure do make a membership that much more valuable and worthwhile.
Book Sale perks - Your membership gives you exclusive admittance to the members-only opening day of our bi-annual BIG Book Sale. New this year, members will have more hours to shop on opening day, as doors will now open at 1 p.m. instead of 3 p.m. as in years past. And in addition, an informal Member Appreciation reception is held during this opening day, offering snacks and refreshments to tide you over during your shopping spree.
Newsletter perk - While our newsletter is available free of charge at any Library location, your membership entitles you to be first in line to receive a paper copy mailed directly to your home.
Exclusive Discount perks - Members who show their membership card receive a 10% savings at these participating booksellers: The Attic (730 Bodart St. in Green Bay), Lion’s Mouth Bookstore (401 N. Washington St. in Green Bay), and Powers Comics & Collectibles (two locations, Powers Comics at 2180 S. Ridge Rd in Ashwaubenon and Powers East at 1230 Main St. in Green Bay). Thank you to these retailers for supporting the Friends!
Exclusive Book Club perk - The Reading Between the Spines book club was established by the Friends as a local book discussion club open to members only. For each limited-attendance event, the club purchases the books of that title for members to read. After the in-person discussion, the books are then donated to the Library for their collections.
Exclusive Event perks - The Friends have begun scheduling events that are only open to Friends members.
As a member, you will receive an email notice of upcoming members-only Events and Book Club discussions as they are scheduled.
The above are the more tangible “Definition #1” benefits of being a Friend, but “Definition #2” also has its satisfaction. The pleasure of finding that special book at the Book Sale…Seeing a parent’s gratitude at receiving books for their kids’ Holiday gifts from the Friends Give-A-Kid-A-Book program…Knowing that newborns and their parents will start their journey to literacy with baby books provided by the Friends Born-to-Read program. …the satisfaction of helping children, tweens, teens, and even adults maintain their reading enjoyment over the Summer by helping the Library’s Summer Reading Program.
Those are the real perks of our Friends memberships. Perhaps not to the level of becoming “lively and cheerful,” but certainly “warm and satisfied.” I’ll take that as a perk.
The Friends of the Brown County Library is more than just an organization. It is exactly what the name implies; volunteer Friends who care enough about the success of the Library that they choose to contribute their time to make our programs and activities possible. Some, like our Board of Directors and our program leaders, may be more visible to our members, while others work behind the scenes for many years with little fanfare but are no less vital to our success. We regret to report the passing recently of two of those notable long-time Friends volunteers, Anita Powers (age 99) and Ginney Amen (age 103).
For Anita, the Library had always been a home away from home. She worked at the Kellogg Public Library in her 20s, and while she left for a stint in the U.S. Naval Reserve and then to raise a family, the Library, and its opportunities for lifelong learning, was always a part of her life. She volunteered for the Friends Book Sale for more than 20 years, as a cashier at the sale and as a book sorter between the sales. One of her legacies is that at a recent sale, four generations of her family worked the sale as cashiers, organizers, and runners. In her later years, she expressed a wish to be buried with her library card!
Ginney never had time to sit still. In addition to her regular work for the Library and our Book Sales, she also volunteered for many local organizations, including Unity Hospice, Ashwaubenon Historical Society, Unity Hospice, Hazelwood Historic House Museum, the Green Bay Botanical Garden, the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, and as a Reading Buddy at Tank School.
"In 2018, the Friends recognized both Anita and Ginney (along with Millie Kappel and Rosmary Michalec), all in their 90s at the time, as our 2017 Volunteers of the Year. Everyone who worked with them was motivated by their hard work, embarrassed by their energy, and inspired by their years of commitment to the Friends. Our Book Sales will not be the same without Anita and Ginney - they will certainly be missed.
The March 17-24, 2022 edition of City Pages has an article about the new UntitledTown.
UntitledTown Turns a New Page
The Friends of the Brown County Library and the GAKAB 2021 honorary chairs, Green Bay Packers wives Molly (Mason) Crosby, and Aiyda (Randall) Cobb, announce the launch of the 33rd annual Give-A-Kid-A-Book Campaign. View the press release here.
The Friends of the Brown County Library needs help sorting donated books for its Big Book Sale!
This is an ongoing, year-around volunteer opportunity that entails sorting donated and withdrawn books into 40+ categories in preparation for the Friends semi-annual book sale. Once sorted, the books are boxed and moved into stacks. Boxes weigh 25-40 lbs.
Volunteers will need to complete 3 hours (two 90 minute sessions) of orientation and training. After that, you will be asked to commit to volunteering several hours per week at the BCL Central Library in the Friends sorting room. Once trained, volunteers set their own hours, during the library's open hours.
Volunteers must be members of the Friends of Brown County Library. To volunteer or for more information about this opportunity, contact Curt Heuer at booksort@browncountylibraryfriends.org
After last year's cancellation, UntitledTown makes its return under a new community partnership with the Friends of the Brown County Library.
"UntitledTown: The Comeback Event" will be held on Saturday, August 21, 2021 at the Brown County Library's Central Library.
A one day celebration of reading, writing, and stories, the event will feature almost twenty authors, including Miranda and Baptiste Paul, Nickolas Butler, Patricia Skalka, Amanda Skenandore, Pao Lor, and Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers, nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award.
Detailed event information, including times, can be found at lionsmouthbookstore.com
The Friends of the Brown County Library is a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Copyright 2020 Friends of the Brown County Library
515 Pine Street, Green Bay, WI 54301