Updates from the Friends of the 4S Ranch Library

Last week the Friends of the 4S Ranch Library had their annual meeting to elect the Board of Directors for 2021. The last months have been different for the Friends like for everyone and everything, regardless the Friends have kept active trying to secure funds in order to be able to support the library programs that the community deserves once the library opens up for in-person programs. In the meantime, the Friends have sold books online & through the book nook when library patrons were allowed inside, we keep processing book donations, processing memberships and we even have kept producing our newsletters. Also, we have donated to support the SDCL overdrive collection of eBooks and audiobooks now that a lot of readers are relying on electronic resources and additionally made a donation to the SDCL technology program for Library High School, this allows students to have access to laptops for their remote learning. The Friends have been meeting virtually every month for the board meetings under the leadership of May Lin, our current president. We have had to recruit new board members as well as some members are retiring and I am happy to report that the library keeps attracting amazing volunteers that love and appreciate our local library and want to contribute to the community. We plan to keep up with the hard work, so I am honor to announce the 2021 Board of Directors in order to do so.

President - May Lin

Vice President/Ebay Sales - Margi Schmidt

Secretary - Kelley Gusich

Treasurer/Book Nook Sales - Sona Parikh

Membership - Hanie Wang

Publicity - Abigail Velazquez

Newsletter - Karina Martinez

Webmaster - Yogitha Sunkara

Founding President - Mary Karscig

Members at large - Bruce Marchu, Pari Hekmat, Soraya Mohammadian

Lynda Moses is one of our founding board members whom is just retiring from the Board of Directors since she is relocating. We are deeply grateful for Lynda's service to the Friends over the years, she will be dearly missed at the library, she has been a mentor and a friend for many of us and we wish her all the best in her next chapter. Here is a statement from Lynda:

“I have been a part of the Friends of the 4S Ranch Library for 13 gratifying years. Mary Karscig formed the group and I heard about the 1stmeeting from a mutual friend, Ellen Weinstein. She and I attended the first meeting and both of us offered to be on that first board. I became the first Membership Chair.

I was Membership Chair for 8 years until May volunteered to take that position. As Membership Chair, I began the Newsletter and the Website in order to inform the public about our mission. When May became Membership Chair, I took the job of Secretary for 2 years and then for the last couple of years, I was Member at Large.

I joined the Friends of the Library as a result of Mary’s urging. I was enamored with the library staff from the very beginning. They were an energetic group of fun people, as were members of the board and volunteers. We all wanted to begin an organization that would fill community needs best served by a public library. Belonging to the Friends of the 4S Ranch Library fulfilled my desire to be a help to my community.

I have many wonderful memories of the Friends. One of my favorites was a program designed to attract more members called Love your Library. Just before Valentine’s Day, we asked all the children who used the library to write short notes (essays) about why they loved the 4S Ranch Library. Geppetto’s donated toys for the winners, which was a marvelous incentive. I ran the program for 2 consecutive years. Although it was not successful in growing our membership, the essays or drawings were so sweet.

The Friends of the Library is a wonderful organization. The money raised directly impacts the programs that the library can afford to provide. The staff has always been so much fun to work with. It’s a wonderful community to be part of.”

Abigail Velazquez - Publicity Chair - Friends of the 4S Ranch Library