Library, leadership group host Friends and Family Fun Day

Posted Thursday, April 20, 2017 11:01 pm

BY PCC STAFF

FORT MADISON - Friends of the Fort Madison Public Library, in partnership with Lee County Leadership participants, will host Friends and Family Fun Day on Saturday, April 29 from 10am to noon at the Fort Madison Public Library, 1920 Avenue E. The event will feature oversized games, stories, and crafts, and will highlight the services and programs provided by the library, many of which are possible due to the financial support of the Friends.

Individual stations will be set up throughout the building where visitors can explore the library's collection of e-books, learn about upcoming summer activities for all ages, or look up their family ancestry in the genealogy room. Those who visit each station will be entered to win a Grand Prize Amazon Kindle Fire, provided by the Friends. Refreshments will be available, courtesy of Hy-Vee in Fort Madison, and admission to the event is free. Additional sponsors include Chuong Garden, Family Video, and Kelly Cakes, all of Fort Madison, and Fun City in Burlington.

In the Fall of 2016, local organizations were invited to submit partnership projects to work with Lee County Leadership Participants. The Friends project was one of three chosen by the steering committee. “When I heard the Lee County Leadership Class was looking for projects, I thought that they might be able to provide some fresh ideas to help the Friends continue to promote themselves to the community,” said Sarah Clendening, director of the Fort Madison Public Library. “This new event will help share information about the Friends with a wider group of people.”

Lee County Leadership participants Jacob Cook, Operations Manager with Independent Can, Melissa Derr, Senior Branch Administrator with Edward Jones, and Kira Kruszynski, Office Manager of the Keokuk Chamber have been working with the Friends of the Fort Madison Public Library since late fall to develop an event aimed at letting community members know about the programming and resources offered by the Library and the support the Friends provide. “Working with the Library has been a great experience to utilize the skills we have learned through the class,” said Derr. Participants are typically encouraged to apply by their employers.

Lee County Leadership is a joint program of Iowa State University Extension & Outreach Lee County and the Keokuk and Fort Madison Chambers of Commerce. The program seeks to train and equip emerging leaders to be active players in their communities by combining classroom curriculum with a real-life community project.

The Friends are a 501(c)3 organization committed to providing services for and funds to the Fort Madison Public Library. Funds raised by the Friends support the Library’s overall programming and have been used to pay for performers and guest speakers, computers and software, microfilm machines, literacy stations, library materials, board games, and Legos among other things. These important assets allow the Library to offer a vast array of resources, services, and events at minimum, or in many cases, no cost to the public. Anyone interested in joining and/or supporting the Friends can contact the Library at 319-372-5721 to learn more or visit their website.

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