Friends of Pittsboro Library reach $200,000 fundraising milestone

By Margaret Tiano
Posted Wednesday, August 8, 2007

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Pittsboro, NC - As of June 2007, the Friends of the Pittsboro Memorial Library have reached their first fundraising milestone, $200,000, pledged to the County for enhancing furnishings, collections, and technology for the new Chatham Community Library. They have also authorized their first expense, $7,500, to fund a water treatment and reuse plan being prepared by Hal House of Integrated Water Systems.

On April 19, 1972, the Friends set a fundraising goal of $100,000 to build the current Pittsboro Memorial Library. A gift of $60,000 was given on a "challenge" basis from the estate of Marvin Reeves and the Reeves Foundation. That library was built using only these private funding sources.

Twenty-five years later, on April 19, 2007, the Friends of the Pittsboro Memorial Library announced their goal of $350,000 for the new Chatham Community Library. That is in addition to the $5.1 million pledged by Chatham County, and the land being donated by CCCC, for a joint-use public/college library. The announcement was made at a Friends reunion hosted by Betty and Noah Wilson. Founders of the Friends and members who were instrumental in raising the funds for the original library were present, as well as Friends board members from that time to the present.

The Friends began fundraising for the new library three years ago by pledging a portion of their semi-annual book sale proceeds to the new library. Fundraising through other planned events began in 2007. On August 14, 2006, the Friends pledged $200,000 to the County, meeting that goal in less than a year.

"We want to congratulate the Friends on meeting their initial goal of $200,000," said Renee Paschal, Assistant County Manager and project manager for the new library. "To meet the goal so quickly shows their overwhelming commitment to the success of this project. With an additional $150,000, we should have the resources to make the new Chatham Community Library an exceptional gathering place for County residents."

Reece Jones, President of the Friends, explained, "We met this commitment through accumulated funds from our book sales, large donations from the Chatham County Historical Association and the Galloway Ridge Foundation, and a significant number of private donations. The support so far has been very encouraging. We will be looking for participation from the business community during the next year to help us exceed our $350,000 goal."

Save the date for Wednesday, October 10, at 1 PM. Join the Friends, CCCC, the County, and the many, many partners who are making the new Chatham Community Library possible, for the groundbreaking ceremony at CCCC. It will be free and open to the public.