Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
President's Letter
Annual Report to Members
There were a lot of positives for the Friends in 2024. Revenues were up. Expenses were under control. We helped introduce a new park outside the library. We sponsored a visit by a New York Times best-selling author. And, we added some terrific new volunteers to an already state-of-the-art group. Let’s take a look at the numbers in more detail.
Total Income: Gross revenues for the year were $171,075 compared to $97,669 in 2023, a 75.2% increase, with every revenue source showing improvement over the year before:
- Book Sales: Total sales came in at $99,891, a 13.2% increase! Online sales had a record year with $53,284 in gross revenues compared to $46,826 in 2023, a 13.8 percent increase. Our sorters and online team got creative and built sets of books by popular authors that really bumped up online sales. Bookstore sales were up almost 2%, at $32,168, and should get a boost in the last half of 2025 with the expansion of the “Chapter Two” bookstore. Book Sale Events revenues were $14,228, up 15.3% over last year.
- Memberships: Revenue from dues was $2,460 in 2024 compared to $1,510 last year...a 62.9% increase. The number of active members was 427 at year-end compared to 362 at the end of 2023, an increase of 18%.
- Donations: We had a bit of a pleasant anomaly this year, which resulted in a total of $64,514 in donation revenue compared to $5,910 last year. The vast majority of that came from the estate of Claude and Marion Robinson. We probably can’t count on this every year.
Expenses: Overall expenditures were up significantly in 2024 due to the one-time capital investment of $201,000 in Friendship Park. However, the team did a great job managing normal operating expenses when you control for the investment in Friendship Park.
- Our total operating expenses were $66,265, up 10.2%, but that’s to be expected given our significant increase in online sales and the variable expenses associated with them.
- A better way to look at it is to compare expense ratios (expenses divided by gross revenues) after eliminating unusual one-time income (donations) and expenses (Friendship Park). It was 57.6% compared to 61.6% last year, a 4-point improvement.
Volunteers: We continue to have the best volunteers in the solar system. We added seven great new volunteers to the basement team in 2023, bringing the total active to about 45. Plus, we have another 10-15 who work just the book sales.
--Joe David
CONTINUE READING OR RETURN TO LIST OF ARTICLES
Benefits of a Friend's Membership
When you become a Friend, you help support an important part of the social fabric of your community. Plus, you earn "Early Bird" privileges at most book sales, which means you gain entry to the sales in advance of non-members to have first shot at the books of greatest interest to you.
And, we will notify you of any scheduled book sales or special events. So, you'll never miss out on an opportunity.
Book Donations
Keep Those Book Donations Coming...Please
Book donations from the community are the lifeblood of the Friends’ fundraising activities for the library. But, like a lot of things in life, donations tend to ebb and flow, and, right now, we could use a bit of a transfusion.
Well, that might be overly dramatic. Let’s settle on a bit of an “infusion” of book donations to keep our volunteers busy during the expected slowdown during the library refresh.
“Even though there will be a necessary curtailment of some services during the refresh, our volunteers are planning on continuing their regular activities to process and sell donated books,” explained Joe David, Friends president. “So, we don’t want the community to get the wrong idea and think we’re closed for business.”
David said that he expects the green donation bin outside the Wisner Center to remain accessible to donors throughout the refresh, “although, donors may have to negotiate around a dumpster that the work crew sometimes positions in front of it.” He added that the Friends’ “Book-It” service is a popular option that will remain available to donors.
“We are more than happy to send a team of volunteers to a home or business to pick up a moderate or large collection of books,” he said. “I don’t know of any other Friends group offering this kind of free service, which might explain why it has been growing in popularity over the last year.”
David added that anyone interested in using the pick-up service can make a request on the Friends’ web site’s home page at cascadefriends.org.
CONTINUE OR RETURN TO LIST OF ARTICLES
The donation bin may be obscured by a dumpster at times during the refresh.
'Chapter Two' Bookstore
Smaller Bookstore Will Remain Open during the Library Refresh
It has been a long time coming, but the Cascade Library refresh kicked off on February 17, forcing library staff, Friends volunteers and library patrons to make a few changes in their daily interactions with one another.
With the “Chapter Two” bookstore scheduled for expansion, volunteers recently had to clear all the books out of the area for construction workers and set up a smaller, temporary store in the Wisner Center’s Scutt Room.
With regular library operations also taking up residence in the Scutt and Good rooms, space is at a premium, which means shopping options will be more limited than usual, according to Marge Ohlman, bookstore chairperson.
“There won’t be as great of a selection, but we’re really happy to be able to continue offering quality used books to library patrons during the refresh period,” she said. “For awhile we were afraid we might have to shut down the bookstore altogether for a while, but, the library staff made sure we had a way to keep the bookstore open.”
While the refresh will be an inconvenience for patrons who regularly use the bookstore, Friends President Joe David predicted they will find that the finished product will make it all worthwhile.
“The footprint of the bookstore should increase by nearly 50 percent,“ he said, “giving us a lot more room to display additional books and to make it comfortable for adults and children to sit and consider their choices.”
CONTINUE READING OR RETURN TO LIST OF ARTICLES
Volunteers feign shock at the empty shelves after relocating books to the temporary bookstore..
Your Donations at Work
Puzzle Tourney and Staycation Highlight Recent Events at the Library
By Leigh Verburg
Branch Outreach and Programming Specialist
A Successful Puzzle Tournament
Our Jigsaw Puzzle Tournament was so popular last year that we decided to reprise it to accommodate even more participants this year. We had a full house for the event on February 15, welcoming 48 participants and several enthusiastic observers.
The event even caught the attention of AARP, which was so impressed that they are considering hosting their own. Thanks to the Friends for allowing us to make this such a memorable event!
(Editor's Note: Click here to see pictures from the Puzzle Tourney and another event, the Lunar New Year Lion Dance.)
Spring Break Staycation
The Spring Break Staycation was another hugely popular event in 2024, attracting thousands of patrons to the library for a series of activities designed to deliver fun to those choosing to spend their spring vacation at home.
While library programming has slowed due to the ongoing refresh, we are thrilled to announce plans for our 2025 Spring Break Staycation, happening April 7–11 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. each day. Three out of the five days will feature activities generously sponsored by the Friends of the Library, ensuring families have fun and engaging experiences during the break. Stay tuned for more details!
Thank-you to the Friends and to the community that supports them for your continued generosity. It is because of you that we can offer meaningful programs even during this transition. We appreciate all you do to help make our library a vibrant community space.
CONTINUE READING OR RETURN TO LIST OF ARTICLES
The Second Annual Jigsaw Puzzle drew 48 competitors to the library on February 15.
Volunteer Corner
Karen Witham: The Class of 2024
Karen Witham joined the Friends in mid-2024 after graduating from the annual volunteer training program with five other new volunteers. And, she said that the comprehensive training confirmed for her that she had made the right choice.
“Training once a week for five weeks with other volunteers was great,” she said. "We learned so much, and I was very impressed to see how well organized the Friends group is. We all started out as book sorters and then branched out to try many other things, like boxing books, stocking the bookstore, locating books people have requested, and going on runs to people’s homes to collect books they want to donate.”
After trying many different roles as a volunteer, Karen said she thinks sorting the books remains her first love. “It’s fun to see the variety of books that are donated and to try to figure out if we should be selling them in the bookstore, the buckmobile, book sales or in our online store.”
When asked why she decided to get involved with the Friends as a volunteer, Karen said there were two main reasons. “I like to keep busy...be involved with the community and meet people,” she said. “So, joining the Friends made sense to me because it’s a great group of people who all love books.”
The second reason was her lifelong relationship with the library and the Friends’ book sales. “I grew up going to the Fourth of July book sale every year at the library and have always loved reading,” she said. “So, I decided to volunteer at the library. I originally helped set up one of the smaller book sales and then decided to go all-in as an official volunteer. I also volunteer with the athletic boosters at my kids’ school, where I help coordinate the volunteers to run the concession stand.”
When it comes to her favorite genre of book, Karen said she has very eclectic tastes, from historical fiction to fantasy, memoirs and classics. “My favorite book is “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier,” she said. “I love the writing style of this book, how it hints at the ending and then takes you back to the beginning. It’s surprising and definitely stays with you.”
Karen grew up in Ada and went to the University of Michigan, where she got her bachelor’s in business administration in finance and then earned an MBA from Wayne State University. She has been married to her husband, Tom, for nearly 21 years and has two sons, Lucas and Jacob.
“Karen is part of an amazing volunteer class that joined us in 2024,” said Joe David, Friends president. “She and her classmates have brought a lot of energy, creativity and commitment to the group and are already making a significant difference.”
CONTINUE READING OR RETURN TO LIST OF ARTICLES
Karen Witham
Book Reviews
What Makes a Book Special for You?
Editor’s Note: When a Friends volunteer recently found out that I wrote a mini-book review for myself on every book I read--mainly so that I could remember that I already read it--she suggested that I share my thoughts with an unsuspecting public.
Well, reviewing a book is a perilous adventure since we all have our own notions of what makes a book endearing, powerful and memorable. For me, character development is essential. Are they relatable? Do I really care about what happens to them. Am I sorry to say goodbye at the end of the story?
Another key theme for me is personal redemption...when a flawed or confused character finds his or her way to a better life by virtue of a special relationship or by overcoming the odds.
Against my better judgement, I have acceded to her suggestion and will share my thoughts in this and future newsletters on books I have enjoyed over the years. Some are best sellers. Others are fairly obscure. Chances are you will have a distinctly different take on them than I do. But then, that’s what makes book discussions so much fun. So, if you have insights or opinions on the books, please feel free to share them with me at cascadefriends47@gmail.com. (I have a thick skin.)
--Joe David
‘The Bookshop of Yesterdays’ by Amy Meyerson
“The Bookshop of Yesterdays” is an excellent tale of self-discovery, where a woman, Miranda Brooks, inherits a bookstore from her Uncle Billy and then sets off on a quest to discover family truths by way of a scavenger hunt he had arranged for her before his death.
While her amazing ability to decipher some of his clues stretches credibility, he leads her and us on an interesting voyage through some of the classics to bring Miranda face-to-face with the fact that her mother and father weren’t really her biological parents while “Uncle” Billy and his deceased wife were.
Her biological mother, Evelyn, died of carbon monoxide poisoning on the day Miranda was born. Billy was ill-equipped to take on single parenting, so he makes the difficult decision to recruit his more-than-willing sister, Susan, and brother-in-law, David, to raise baby Miranda.
On the journey to the truth, Miranda meets many charming characters who had known and loved her real parents. The author’s ability to bring all these people to life in a manner that makes you never want to let them go is the greatest of many strengths about this book.
In the end, as if straight out of a Hallmark movie, Miranda quits her teaching job back on the east coast, breaks up with her underwhelming boyfriend, falls in love with the mysterious Malcom (manager of Prospero Books), finds her way back to an even stronger version of the relationship she had with her parents, and girds herself for the daunting task of restoring her bookstore to solid footing.
It’s a lovely story...well written and lovingly shared.
‘Orphan Train’ by Christina Baker Kline
“Orphan Train” is a historical novel that tells the story of about a quarter million orphans who boarded trains on the east coast and traveled into the heartland of the country from 1854 to 1929 to find families that would take them in...not always for noble reasons.
This story takes place on two timelines. One starts in 1929 with the ordeals of a young Irish girl—she ends up with a series of names, but Vivian is the one that sticks—who comes to the USA with her family but soon encounters tragedy that leaves her alone.
After her train ride to Minnesota, she bounces around between families, including one that considers her an employee, one that is abusive and, finally, one that embraces her as a surrogate for their deceased daughter.
Meanwhile, the other storyline centers around a 17-year-old girl named Molly who is half Penobscot Indian and who is desperately trying to avoid going to juvenile court for stealing a book. She is also an orphan of sorts.
Molly winds up volunteering to spend 50 hours helping the now 91-year-old Vivian clean out her attic. In the course of their mutual attic adventure, the two share intimate details of their lives and find significant common ground that helps bring them close together.
For example, Molly learns that Vivian had given up a baby (sound familiar?) when she was widowed at the age of 20 and offers to help Vivian reconnect with the now 68-year-old “child.”
In the process, both find self-redemption and the confidence to, not only accept all the twists and turns of their lives, but to almost embrace the vagaries that have brought them to this moment of self-realization and joy.
The story ends a bit abruptly--as is sometimes the case when an author starts running out of plot--with Vivian’s daughter, Sarah, and great granddaughter coming to visit her in Maine. But, although abrupt, it ends on the kind of high that gives the eternal optimists among us hope of overcoming all the forces that sometimes conspire to put one obstacle after another on our path to happiness.
CONTINUE READING OR RETURN TO LIST OF ARTICLES
If you've read these books, share your thoughts via email at cascadefriends47@gmail.com
Book Discussion Group
'The Paris Library' Is Next Up for the Friends' Book Discussion Group
The Friends book discussion group will come together at 10 a.m. on March 19 in the Wisner Center to discuss “The Paris Library” by Janet Skeslien Charles. Here’s what the internet has to say about the story.
“The book is based on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris. It is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family, and the power of literature to bring us together.
“In the Paris of 1939, young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library.
“Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.
Jump ahead to Montana in 1983. “Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in a small town. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.
“It’s a powerful novel that explores the consequences of our choices and the relationships that make us who we are—family, friends, and favorite authors. The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest of places.
Book discussions are held at 10:00 am in the Wisner Center at the Cascade Library on the third Wednesday of the month. If you would like to join the book discussions, you can simply show up at the next scheduled discussion. No registration is required. Attendees are encouraged to read ahead of the schedule, if possible, since some titles may be in short supply near the discussion date.
CONTINUE READING OR RETURN TO LIST OF ARTICLES
'The Paris Library' will be discussed on March 19 in the library's Wisner Center.
Membership
Is It Time to Renew Your Membership?
Our membership count continues to grow and, for that, we are very appreciative. But, we've found that memberships often get renewed just before or during book sales events. And, since we're not likely to have any sales events until after the library refresh is done, we wanted to remind you to please check your membership card for its expiration date so you can keep your membership active.
Membership dues remain very low: $5 for seniors and students, $10 for adults (under age 60), $15 for a family, and $100 for a lifetime membership. You can purchase or renew a membership either on our website or at the circulation desk the next time you’re in the library.
Your membership expiration date is on your card. Please make sure your membership remains active.