Friends of the GPL Annual Campaign 2025-26

Dear Supporter,

As GPL Friends and board members, we’ve long pondered what it means for the library to be the beating heart of the community. Today, we invite you to support our Greenfield library as much more than a repository of books! Our library is a place of great possibility, great resources, and great ambitions. Your support has made so much possible in the last year, and it’s time to redouble our efforts with an eye to the next:

• YOU have made the relaunch of the wildly popular 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program a reality. More than 600 people came through our doors during the launch. Over 130 families with diverse language backgrounds signed up to participate on Day 1!

• YOU have funded a varied, exuberant slate of programming – upwards of 70 programs a month. For example, the teen-led Community Conversations 413 initiative has been an opportunity to both support & learn from our community’s English-language learners, reflecting the young organizers’ sentiment that “sharing our differences through dialogue enriches our community.”

• YOU have gathered hundreds of people who no longer need to “bowl alone,” to borrow Robert Putnam’s famous phrase: chess club, knitting group, writers workshops, Italian and French practice, MahJong group, Spice Club, Ukulele Players, Teen Advisory group, toddler storytime – these are just a few recurring community-building activities.

• YOU have upheld the Library as a hub for voter engagement, as a nonpartisan civic center supporting access to reliable information about elections & ballot initiatives. This year, candidate forums, debates, and informational sessions have each promoted informed participation, critical thinking, and open dialogue, creating safe spaces for individuals to engage in political learning with like-minded & challenging folks alike.

• YOU have supported childhood literacy through robust summer reading programs, as well as access for all to library materials through our Homebound Delivery program.

In March, readers of the Friends’ monthly newsletter were invited to “gaze in wonder at what libraries do.” Please turn that gaze into action today, and give to our library as generously as you are able – give to the heart of our city, the cornerstone of our democracy, the place that welcomes us all with open arms.

Donate to the library today, and then come on in to enjoy all the library offers – the warmth of the sun on its patios; new experiences through programs, literature, and community; the beauty of free and accessible space and technology open to all; the delight in little legs hurrying toward the story-time librarian brandishing a new picture book. Your gift matters; come through the library’s sliding doors with our deep gratitude ringing in your ears and in your heart.

We are honored to share this good work with you,

Celine Nader & Sara Lark 

Friends Board Members

The Friends of the Greenfield Public Library is a 501(c)(3) organization, EIN#042694215. All contributions are tax deductible.