Library Giving Day is a one-day fundraising event that aims to encourage people who depend on and enjoy public libraries to donate to their library system. Public libraries are known for books and research materials, but they also offer many programs that promote lifelong learning, connect patron s to technology, and advance our knowledge. For all the services and programs libraries provide to their community, their budgets just aren’t enough. That is where the Friends of the Library, the 501(c)3 organization that helps support libraries, pays for any additional programs, projects, or services that the library needs beyond its operating budget. This is the first year that a group of North Texas Library Friends and Foundations has joined together to make a broader impact in the DFW area. Thanks to Communities Foundation of Texas and generous supporters, 100% of every donation will support library programs and services that directly impact the community. One of those groups is the Friends of the Dallas Public Library. “For the last 75 years, we’ve provided more than $60 million in funding to our library in terms of supporting its facilities and materials or programming,” Ken Benson, Board Chair for FODPL, said. “We have bought several bookmobiles for the library, we have helped finance some of the floors we’re standing on now, and we’ve helped finance this library we’re standing in now in terms of fundraising.” Benson said Library Giving Day will give them the opportunity to expand their programs. They have set up a 75th anniversary archival exhibit on the seventh floor of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in Downtown Dallas, showcasing the seven decades of influence the library has had. He said it proves that library cards are unlocking doors and opportunities at the same time. Benson said that’s why the Library Giving Day, which started in 2019 with the Seattle Public Library Foundation, is more important than ever before here in North Texas. “We intend to, using the library, our funding that we get on April 1, to support our summer reading program. This is a program that the Friends of the Dallas Public Library has been sponsoring and hosting for many, many years,” Benson said. The summer reading program is targeted towards anyone, he said, just encouraging reading during the summer months. The time of year when teachers say a lot of information is lost from the school year. Library Giving Day (LGD) is an annual fundraising campaign designed to increase philanthropic support for libraries across the U.S. and Canada. Since its launch in 2019 by The Seattle Public Library Foundation, LGD has raised over $8 million, including $2 million in the past year alone. Libraries serve as community cornerstones, providing essential services such as free access to books, technology, educational programs, and more. NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 are always Reading With You with our childhood literacy initiative. ...read more read less