Thank You!

 

Our annual Library Day gathering of the Read Your Way to Fenway summer reading contest winners took place on Sunday, August 22. Leading up to the big day, a steady stream of children and teenagers visited their local branch libraries, read three books each, and wrote essays about their favorites to earn a chance to win two tickets to a Red Sox game. The essays of 750 young people from across the city were selected as this year's winning entries, and a total of 1,600 delighted fans were able to attend the game.

As the winners and their families entered the ballpark, the Boston Public Library Foundation – with the help of a great group of enthusiastic volunteers – provided book bags, hats, t-shirts, hot dogs and more. The 5 grand prizewinners were invited onto the field for a pre-game ceremony: Jesus Martinez, Juliana Fleming, Shaina Fils-Aime, Danny Rivera, and Giobed Rivera.

Among the many Read Your Way to Fenway supporters and fans in attendance were Mayor Thomas Menino; Kevin Dolan and Alicia Verity, Bank of America; Meg Vaillancourt, Boston Red Sox Foundation; Dr. Larry Cohn, BPL Foundation Board member, and wife Roberta; Paul Kraft, BPL Foundation Board member; Amy Ryan, President, Boston Public Library; Koren Stembridge, BPL Director of Partnerships and Communications; and Daria McLean, BPL Foundation Director of Development.

The program is made possible through the generosity of Bank of America, the Red Sox Foundation, Aramark, Ace Trophy, and the Boston Public Library Foundation.

Since 1996, Read Your Way to Fenway has brought more than 20,000 young people and their families to Boston Public Library locations and to Fenway Park.

 

Visit the Flickr slideshow for photos from Read Your Way to Fenway 2010.

History

The entrance to the National Historic Landmark McKim Building welcomes the public with a founding principle of the American public library movement carved in stone above the main door: FREE TO ALL. The building’s facades display bold inscriptions:

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF THE CITY OF BOSTON BUILT BY THE PEOPLE AND DEDICATED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING.

FOUNDED THROUGH THE MUNIFICENCE AND PUBLIC SPIRIT OF CITIZENS.

John and Diddy Cullinane, William Bulger, and William O. Taylor—eighteen years ago, these dedicated supporters of the Library joined forces to bring new life and energy to one of the City’s most venerable institutions. In creating the Boston Public Library Foundation, they sought to build a new partnership among civic-minded individuals, the corporate community, and public funders. The combined strength and leadership of this partnership continues to move the great work of the Library forward.

Mission

The mission of the Boston Public Library Foundation is to enhance the public visibility and to raise public and private funds in support of the revitalization of the Boston Public Library. The Board of Directors, composed of business and community leaders, develops the Foundation’s strategies and steers its development initiatives. Since 1992, the Boston Public Library Foundation has raised more than $80 million.

Areas of Focus

Focus Area 1: To enhance customer services at the Central Library and in all neighborhood branches, with an emphasis on enhancing youth and family programming.

The Boston Public Library Foundation raises funds for special projects and programs that are outside the scope of the Library’s general operating budget. Gifts made in this focus area have a significant impact on the number and the quality of programs for children, teenagers, and families. Examples of Foundation-funded programs include the Homework Assistance Program (HAP), Drop-in Science, the Schools Collaborative Creative Writing and Design Contest, Read Your Way to Fenway, and Guys Read.

Focus Area 2: To improve access to the array of BPL resources, including its renowned special collections.

The American Library Association ranks the Boston Public Library as the third largest library in the United States, holding more than 15 million volumes. The Research Library, holding vast collections, represents a local, state, regional, national, and international resource that is becoming more and more accessible through the Internet. Neighborhood branch libraries are continuing to increase in their ability to provide convenient, up-to-date access points to computers, databases, and other developing technologies and media. The BPL Foundation works to support the Library in developing new ways to improve access and exhibit special collections.

Focus Area 3: To complete the restoration of the National Historic Landmark McKim Building in Copley Square.

The National Park Service designated the McKim Building a National Historic Landmark in 1986, citing it as “the first outstanding example of Renaissance Beaux-Arts Classicism in America.” Within the McKim Building are some of the finest murals in the United States; collections of rare books and manuscripts, maps, and prints that rank among the most significant, publicly owned compilations anywhere; splendid gallery space for displaying the Library’s numerous treasures assembled over the past 160 years; and amenities such as a restaurant and café, a peaceful inner courtyard furnished with bistro tables and chairs, and several comfortable and inviting reading areas. The Foundation continues to seek funds to complete the restoration of this great building.

For more information please contact:
Daria McLean, Director of Development
The Boston Public Library Foundation
700 Boylston Street
Boston, MA  02116
Phone (617) 247-8980
Fax (617) 247-1571
bplf@bplf.com