News

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It’s here! The 2024 Napa Valley CanDo Give!Guide is your one-stop to support your Napa community non-profit organizations! Join CanDo and fellow donors to make 2024 a record setting year for participating non-profits.

The Friends of the Napa Library once again is honored to participate in this powerful community of non-profit fundraising.  Click here to donate today!  Let’s build a brighter future for Napa, one book and reader at a time.

How and Why to Donate

Imagine a world where a child struggles to read, where seniors feel isolated due to technology challenges, and where families can’t afford learning opportunities.  The Friends of the Napa Library (FOL) is dedicated to change this in Napa County.  This holiday season, through the Give!Guide (November 15^th to December 31^st), our aim is to exceed our goal of reaching 120 donors and raising $10,000 to sustain essential library programs that foster literacy, learning, and community connection.

Your donation to the Friends of the Napa Library – CanDo’s Napa Valley Give!Guide) directly supports Napa County Library programs, including:

• Summer Reading Programs: Offering books, events, and learning activities to keep kids engaged and ready to learn when school resumes.
• The Memory Lab: Helping families digitize photos and videos, preserving cherished memories, and bridging the technology gap.
• Free Books for Kids and Families: Each year, we provide thousands of free books to children, bringing the joy of reading to those who can’t otherwise afford it.
• Community Outreach: We donate books to hospitals, senior housing, family centers, schools, and more, making literacy accessible to everyone.

Supporting FOL through the Give!Guide: fuels these programs and allows the library to continue as a place where all community members can find inspiration, learning, and belonging – every dollar and donor counts. Your contribution is an investment in the future of Napa – a future where everyone has access to knowledge, culture, and opportunity.

A Thank You to Our Donors

In appreciation, all who donate to FOL through the Give!Guide will participate in a random drawing for a premium wine basket from the Donald Patz Wine Group. Additionally, if you donate through the Give!Guide, and if you’re not already a member of FOL, you’ll receive a free one-year FOL membership, which includes early access to book sales and discounts at the Napa Bookmine.

Libraries are unique spaces where people of all ages and backgrounds gather to explore, learn, and grow. Your donation supports this vision and helps keep our library vibrant. Together, let’s empower literacy and enrich minds in Napa County.

Scan this QR code to access our page in the Give!Guide

Join us October 20-26, 2024 to celebrate National Friends of the Library Week. This initiative of United for Libraries gives us the opportunity to share the programs we fund with the Napa County Library. During this week, look for our table in the lobby of the Napa County Library. It will be full of information on our mission, programs we support and our multi-day book sales that allow of this to happen. Interested in joining the Friends of the Napa Library? Membership information will also be available.

Exciting events to celebrate this week are..

Children’s Book Give-a-Way – Sunday, October 20, 2024 2p – 5pm
Children’s Book Give-a-Way – Thursday, October 24, 2024 1:30pm – 4:30pm.

Both events will be held at the Napa County Library. Please join us either or both days to celebrate this week of recognition.  And check out our information table in the Napa County Library lobby, located across from the honor system Lobby Sales area.

Oh No!…The Summer Olympics are ending on Sunday, August 11 after 17 days of challenges, exciting competition and heartwarming stories of perseverance by the world’s finest athletes.  So now what do we do to continue practicing our mental gymnastics and appreciating the efforts of others?

How about visiting the current Friends of the Napa Library Multi-day Book Sale in the Community Room at the Napa County Library!  We have an incredible selection of books, CD’s and DVD’s donated by you, our generous community of book lovers. We restock books throughout the first half of the sale so just because you shopped during the early days doesn’t mean you won’t found that perfect item when you shop on a later day.

The Book Sale hours are:

• • • • Saturday, August 17, 2024  10am – 4pm (**Member’s Day)
      • Sunday, August 18, 2024  1pm – 4pm
      • Monday, August 19, 2024  10am – 7pm
      • Tuesday, August 20, 2024  10am – 7pm
      • Wednesday. August 21, 2024 10am – 7pm
      • Thursday, August 22, 2024  10am – 7pm
      • Friday, August 23, 2024 10am – 4pm  (Half Price Day)
      • Saturday. August 24, 2024 10am – 4pm (Bag Day First bag = $7, 2 bags = $10,  3+ bags = $5 each)
      • Sunday, August 25, 2024, 1pm – 4pm (Super Sale Day! Bargains Galore!)

      SHOP EARLY AND OFTEN!

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By: Ken DeJarnette, Friends of the Napa Library Board Member

In April 2024, students from the Camille Creek Community School in Napa, California, again demonstrated the power of community service by volunteering at the Friends of the Napa Library (FOL) book sale set-up. The book sale, which helps fund critical library programs, is so much easier to set-up thanks to the energetic involvement of these young volunteers. This sale was the most successful in recent history.

Two student volunteers

FOL book sales are a mammoth task, involving the movement of hundreds of heavy boxes filled with thousands of books, along with numerous tables, wire book racks, chairs, et al. Everything involving the set-up (and teardown) must be completed quickly to minimize the disruption and impact on the Library and its Community Room, where the sale takes place. Historically, the physical demands of the setup process have posed challenges, particularly given the age of many regular volunteers. However, the Camille Creek students bring their youthful energy and strength to the forefront, accomplishing in just a few hours what would typically take much longer.

Books waiting to be moved!

By involving themselves in such activities, these students not only provide invaluable assistance but also gain a sense of the impact of volunteerism. Their contribution underscores the importance of intergenerational support and cooperation in community projects.

Special thanks are due to Nancy Dempsey, Principal, and Angela Higdon, Assistant Principal, who have been instrumental in nurturing this spirit of community service been instrumental in nurturing this spirit of community service within the school and have been partnering with the FOL for many books sales. Their leadership and commitment to civic engagement have clearly influenced these young individuals, inspiring them to give back to their community in meaningful ways.

Hard at work setting up the sale

The success of the book sales highlight the positive outcomes that can arise from such collaborative efforts. It not only brings the community together but also ensures that the FOL can continue their essential support for library services, thanks to the hard work and enthusiasm of these remarkable students and our volunteers. This partnership between Camile Creek and the Friends of the Napa Library is a testament to the strength and potential of community collaboration.

The next book sale is scheduled for Saturday, August 17th through Sunday, August 25th.

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