Winter 2025 Friends' Update

You are Invited to our Annual Membership Dinner and Meeting

Jan 25, 2025

Snowy Salutations!

Winter may mean cold weather outside and a respite between our big fundraising events, but NCLF still has a lot cooking during these “off months!”

If you were a member last year, you should have received an invitation to renew as part of our 2025 Member Drive- please remember to send those in or renew online at your earliest convenience. If you receive the newsletter but have not been a member, please consider joining us for this year!

Our Annual Membership Dinner and Meeting is right around the corner, on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Please see the first section about that below and join us, if you can, for a fun and fascinating evening with Friends.

With supplies of our popular tote bags getting low and some exciting things happening, 2025 is ripe for exploring new ways to let people show support, and an online merchandise store for NCLF is in the works - more on that below, too.

The capital fundraising campaign for the Garden Project is continuing apace. Please check out the exciting updates on that front, especially if you enjoy parties or party planning. We’ve got a big one cooking for the early Spring, as a “final push” fundraising event for the project, and we need help!

Lastly, I’m pleased to announce Jennifer Ramsdell as our new Vice President. She was confirmed to the Board by membership last year, has been extremely successful as Raffles Chair, and now fills a position that had been vacant for a while. Thanks to Jenn for stepping up, and to all of my fellow board members for their dedication to this organization - they make it a pleasure to serve.

Thanks to you as well. As a supporter or (hopefully) member, you are essential to what we do. Again, please remember to renew so that you can be a part of all of the exciting things happening for New Castle Public Library in 2025.

Sincerely,

Matt Alexander,
President

Renew your Membership for 2025

Enjoy Dinner with Friends and Learn About ‘Folk Art & Culture’ on Feb. 12

NCLF will hold its Annual Membership Dinner and Business Meeting in the library’s Community Room on Wednesday, February 12, at 6pm.

In keeping with our Bylaws, the Friends Board is attempting to return the Annual Meeting to February this year. However, in recognition that winter weather happens, we have set a ‘Rain Date’ of Wednesday, February 19.

This year’s event will feature a thought-provoking presentation on ‘Folk Art & Culture’ by Eunice LaFate, who appears courtesy of Delaware Humanities and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Ms. LaFate is an educator, former banker, human services administrator, writer, storyteller, public speaker, and a prize-winning, self-taught artist influenced by the landscape, tones and culture of her (Jamaican) island heritage.

From the program description: “Folk art is the art produced by self-taught people. Every culture has its share of folk artists, yet art historians often deny folk art its rightful place alongside fine art. Ms. LaFate… addresses this issue and explores the concepts of folk art and culture. Audience members will have the opportunity to create their own folk art!”

A variety of delicious sandwiches, soups, finger foods and desserts - along with an assortment of beverages, including wine - will be provided by the Friends Board. Members wishing to contribute to the meal are welcome to do so - please just email us to coordinate. In keeping with the library’s waste-free pledge, guests are encouraged to bring their own (non-disposable) bowls, mugs and utensils.

The schedule will be roughly as follows:
5:50pm - Doors Open / Check-In begins
6:10pm - Announcements (while members get dinner and get settled)
6:30pm - ‘Folk Art & Culture’ presentation by Eunice LaFate
7:30pm (approx.) - NCLF Annual Business Meeting
Presentation of 2025 Budget
2025 Board Slate Presentation & Membership Vote
7:55pm (approx.) - Closing Remarks

…

If you can make it, we certainly hope to see you! If you know you’ll be coming, please RSVP, either by email, or by responding to the event on Facebook. If inclement weather does cause the event to be moved to 2/19, we will follow up with another email and by updating that event listing.

Garden Project: Campaign Update

The big, recent news from the capital fundraising campaign is that Arasapha Garden Club has pledged $1,000 to our garden project! We owe some huge thanks to our fellow New Castle non-profit for this stunning and very generous show of support, and for helping to raise awareness about the project.

From May Market to Winter Festival and many activities in between, Arasapha’s board and membership have been wonderful partners to the Friends, for which we are very grateful! For its very kind donation, Arasapha will be honored with a plaque among other major contributors to the project.

With that donation and other individual contributions since last month, the garden fund currently sits at - drumroll please 🥁 - approx. $45.5K raised (or pledged) and ‘just’ $20K to go!

The support of our Friends and community has been truly amazing… However, as you know, we have to complete the campaign by June in order to receive the $25,000 grant from the Welfare Foundation that represents part of that ‘pledged’ total.

So, it’s a great start - but we still have work to do!

We continue to identify and apply for private and public grants to help close the gap (2 currently outstanding). In January, the NCLF board also voted to allocate all funds raised during this year’s #DoMore24DE fundraiser toward the project. That event, where in years past NCLF has raised amounts ranging from $400-750, is the first Thursday-Friday of March.

Lastly - and here, dear reader, is hopefully where you come in - we are planning a fancy, ticketed fundraiser with cocktails, live music, silent auctions and LOTS of other fun features for the early Spring as a “final push” for project fundraising. It’s been a few years since NCLF hosted this kind of event, however, and we need help to pull it off… starting with some input on the style of the event. Please take a moment to weigh in on the poll below.

From helping the ad-hoc committee planning the event, to finding and securing entertainment and activities, to helping out day-of as a volunteer, however you can get involved would be greatly appreciated. Upscale party planning experience is helpful but not needed - just enthusiasm. If you can lend a hand, please just reach out to Jenn to join the team. Thanks!

If you would like to make a donation to the Garden Campaign, please go to FriendsGarden.org. Gifts of any amount help to keep the momentum going!

Coming Soon: Show Your Support for our Library with T-Shirts & More!

Members’ 2023 Tote Bag Choice Was Hugely Popular

At NCLF’s 2023 annual meeting, members voted on a new tote bag design for the Friends to sell at events. The previous, canvas bag had proven popular and supplies were dwindling. Members selected a large, bold-looking, all-natural Jute and recycled cotton design for the new tote.

NCLF ordered 250 of the new bags, emblazoned with an updated logo chosen specifically to work well for merchandise and online marketing. Two years later, the new bags have proven very popular and only fifty remain in stock. NCLF has already made back roughly double what the organization paid for them (netting approx. $1,200 so far).

More than just a source of revenue, the bags also get our name and ‘brand’ out into the community and enable people to visibly show their support for New Castle Public Library. They have also become a part of the routine for a growing number of Book Sale superfans, who bring the totes back to every event to fill up with a fresh stack of (extra discounted) books!

Offering New Opportunities to Show Support in 2025

This year, the board is looking to introduce new ways for members and supporters to show their love for NCPL and our mission, including t-shirts, mugs and more. Most of these will be introduced via an online store at Bonfire.com, which offers lots of helpful tools for non-profit organizations like ours.

Once the designs have been chosen (hopefully by a vote at the Annual Meeting, if the team working on this is ready) and our Online Store gets rolling, we will also order a supply of at least one design to have on hand at our book sales for sale alongside our totes. An on-hand supply will enable us to offer discounted items to NCLF members, and possibly complimentary t-shirts for volunteers!

photo of blue crew-neck tops — Photo by Keagan Henman.

If you have an eye for design, or just a fun idea for a pro-library/pro-literacy themed product that would work for promoting NCPL and the Friends, please get in touch! The NCLF Board is very grateful to NCPL’s Teen Librarian Nicole Worth for bringing Bonfire to our attention and helping to create fun designs for our forthcoming new ‘merch!’

2025 Raffle Basket Wish List

From Jenn Ramsdell, NCLF Raffles Chair

I have many exciting raffle baskets planned for 2025 and would love to continue highlighting local businesses, artisans, and craftspeople from New Castle and the surrounding area!

Are you able, or do you know someone who would be interested in contributing to Library Friends' fundraising efforts by donating a hand-crafted item or a voucher for goods and services?

Donations of the following, specific items would be especially helpful: