27 Apr Giving Love to Our Local Library
Pictured are Library Director Mary Ann Farnham (center right) and MCCF Director of Development Connie Cutler (center left) with MCCF board members and Robotics Club members during the presentation of the pop-up grant.
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the Miami County Community Foundation has continued its series of pop-up grants! This month, a surprise grant of $1,000 was given to the Peru Public Library. This pop-up grant and the ones before it have been completely unexpected by the receiving organizations. The purpose of the grants are not only to celebrate the MCCF’s 25th anniversary, but also to encourage and thank the recipients for the work they do in Miami County.
In 2007, the library board established the Peru Public Library Endowment Fund with the MCCF. Other generous donors have established funds with the Community Foundation that support the work of the library. These funds include the Lillian Berry Fund, Ellen Cole Fetter Book Fund, E. Grace Fouts Fund, Philip A. Fox Fund, Moses & Caroline C. Puterbaugh Fund, Annalee Webb Miller Fund, Ona C. Sharp Fund, and John M. Switzer Fund. In total, $139,000 are endowed to support the Peru Public Library. Through the generosity of the founders of these funds, the library will forever receive grants to support their work year after year.
Additionally, the Community Foundation has supported the library through more than $30,000 in community grants. These grants supported programs such as the Summer & Wee Reading Program and the Teen Reading Program. The grants also assisted with various needs, such as updating library resources and providing funding for a GrantStation research program. In 2012, a large grant of $20,000 was awarded to the library for new computers, monitors, a printer, and other hardware/software.
The library has additionally been supported by the Miami County Boomerang Sisterhood, a women’s giving circle established within the MCCF. Members of this organization pool their resources by paying $120 in yearly dues, half of which are used for annual grants and half of which are put into the Boomerang Sisterhood’s endowment fund with the MCCF to be used for future grants. The group has awarded grants to the Peru Public Library for its reading programs and Robotics Club.
The $1,000 pop-up grant from the MCCF was given for general support, which allows the library to use the grant for whatever its current needs are.
The Peru Public Library offers many community programs and resources for residents of all ages. The activities offered are diverse, including arts and crafts, movie screenings, American Girl Club, Robotics Club, and so many more. The library is truly an esteemed community asset. The MCCF is proud to offer support to the work and mission of this high-quality library.