Library fundraising auction a success
To the Editor,
In December, auction donations filled the children’s activity room in Swarthmore Borough Hall. Photo: Louise Coffin
As president of the Friends of the Swarthmore Public Library, I want to thank the donors whose kind generosity made our recent Briggs Auction fundraiser possible. You donated personal family items, including heirloom jewelry, flat silver, paintings, toys, and furniture, as well as memorabilia, like the Princeton Street sign and the 1940s letter sweater from the University of North Dakota. The array of items, both valuable and fun, drew a very large response from bidders, locally and around the country.
Income from the auction allows the Friends of the Library to continue its sole purpose of providing annual financial support to the library, which amounts to between 20 and 25% of the library’s yearly budget. The income from the auctioned items made up the amount that had been lost by canceling our 2020 Book-and-Bake sales, and will help if those events have to be canceled again in 2021.
The dedicated work of the auction committee made this endeavor a success. I want to recognize Sheila Bell, Diann Brown, Rebecca Carovillano, Louise Coffin, Chris Gradel, Virginia Williams Joyce, Doris Mitrani, and Dave Ryba. I also wish to thank library director Amber Osborne, as well as Kerry Doyle, who designed our auction graphics, and the rest of the library staff for their support. Finally, special recognition goes to Rob Borgstrom of waR3house3, not only for his encouragement, but also for contributing so much expertise, time, and energy to the project: He educated the committee on auction logistics, evaluated donations, and transported all the donated items to the auction site.
Our library brings all ages together in our community; we are fortunate to have it as a centerpiece of our town. To all donors and auction participants: Please accept our immense gratitude for making this untried adventure so successful.
Most sincerely,
Betty Dowling
President, Friends of the Swarthmore Public Library
(Ed. note: Rob Borgstrom is a co-publisher of the Swarthmorean.)
