February 12, 2009 07:00 PM
Donate Now To Save The Nation's Oldest Public Library
[UPDATE: Links fixed now.]
Remember when I wrote about the Darby Free Library, the oldest free library in the country?
They finally have Paypal on their website. It took them a while (small non-profits tend to move at a glacial pace) but you can click and give now.
In the meantime, the local ABC affiliate and USA Today have since covered the story of the library's struggle to stay open in a very poor community.
They're getting donations, but still not enough.
If you're still employed and you love books, go donate!
in this country. Plenty of money for bombs and weaponry but the libraries and schools have to have bake sales or book sales just to make ends meet.
We had the same problem raising money for our library. Year after year residents would ask the city to add some for the library. No dice, but they could spend thousands for business studies that went nowhere.
That and the attitude that supporting books or art or any of the cultural necessities is poo-pooed by tight fisted idiots and their celebration of mediocraty.
I can't send much but I'll send what I can.
Oh, and thanks, Susie.
I remember Northern Sun (a great progressive shop) had a button saying something about how great it would be when the day comes that the Pentagon needs to have a bake sale in order to buy a bomber.
As for me, I am broke, but since I do donate portions of my meager earnings from selling my crafts, I now think I know who should benefit from my sales of beaded bookmarks.
Thanks so much for letting us know about this, Susie!
I've never seen change without a fire
one week in Iraq, we could fund ALL the libraries that they are petitioning to close, not just in PA, but the whole country! Hell, for just the $12 Billion that went walking away in Iraq, IN CASH, we could fund ALL of the libraries in America for a very long time. (And a Darrell Issa (R) likes to tell us, "It might SEEM like a lot of money, but really just $1000 for each Iraqi". I think someone needs to tell him that EACH Iraqi didn't get a cut of this money!)
They are building a new library within walking distance of my home, and this story helps hammer home just how lucky we are - voters here are willing to vote in the required funds for parks and libraries (and schools) each time they come up. I just wish the rest of the country were the same.
I have left a donation, it's not much, but considering that their yearly goal is just $5 per resident they serve (think of that $12 Billion again - $5 for each American would be about $1.5 Billion each year), and they serve about 10,000 in their community, if we all just pitched in what we can, they may be able to match not just this year's goal but long enough for this rotten economy turns around and the state can think about funding them properly.
Keep up the good work - it's never done.
**Bread not Bombs**
What have we learned in the last 2 news cycles ?
A. A Senator from Oklahoma, completely in the pay of big carbon, has produced all the fresh " thinking" for denier science in the last 3 and a half months. And it was made possible by a producer from Rush Limbaugh.
B. The world is going to hell, and Bill O'Reilly is now picking on an 82 year-old-woman who's family came from Lebonan , and had a better life. Bill O'Reilly talks about America, Helen Thomas is America.
N/T
that one of the huge corporations based in Philly couldn't be persuaded
to give up some money from their "foundation" to save the Darby Library. Just off the top of my head you've got Sunoco, Comcast, Rohn & Haas, FMC Corp, Aramark, Cozen&O'Connor, CIGNA, ACE-INA, and more...
That's where you should go to get the money, Susie.
But, as soon as I win the Powerball jackpot (could be on Saturday ??) - I'll take care of it for you.
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
Happy to be able to do so.
This story boils my American Blood.
Ron Sheridan
I don't if they've already tried it, but they (or you, yes you reading this who lives in PA or know someone who does) should get in contact with grocers in the area for days of charity. Especially co-ops and "green" grocers.
Whole Foods Market (yes, the corporation) calls them "Community 5% Days" and donates 5% of the day's sales to a deserving charity. Done at the store level. I'm not sure which one might be closest, or if perhaps the entire state would band together for "Save the Public Spaces Day," and perhaps make a true effort to preserving these treasures rather than always struggling to save them form catastrophe.
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/all/in...
(Just click on a store you go to, and fill out the form you find under "Community Giving" - or you might have go in person to fill out the application.)
Just a suggestion.
How did the historic Darby Free Library's needs escape the attention of two
former First Ladies, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush, when promoting reading and
libraries were their causes? Unbelievable!
Laura Bush has plenty of "free" time now so perhaps someone
should contact her and ask for help. She could put together a Fund Raiser for
the Darby Free Library.
Also, PA Universities and Colleges should ban together and come up with a
funding project. University of Pennsylvania. Villanova. Temple. ETC.
Donations online is a terrific idea but really more needs to be done and
there are others capable of doing NEWS WORTHY FUNDRAISERS for DARBY,
ASAP.
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