Last Thursday, Pipestone Area Friends of the Library won a statewide award from the Minnesota Association of Library Friends.
For the second time in three years, PAFL has been the recipient of $1,000 for their support of library programming. During the first annual Full STEAM Ahead event in May 2017, members of PAFL backed Meinders Community Library staff in their crazy endeavor to host a hands on extravaganza of crafts, technology, and programming.
From the start, they asked, “What can we do?”
The answer: they did a lot. Their in-kind volunteer contribution was valued at more than $4,000. They secured donations from local businesses to feed our 111 Full STEAM Ahead participants. They found local hobbyists to present at our four-hour event and spent time and energy on marketing and promotion.
The success of our first Full STEAM Ahead paved the way for our $25,000 State Farm Neighborhood Assist grant, as well as a $5,000 grant from the Pipestone Area Community Foundation and a handful of smaller donations.
We are forever indebted to our local Friends group for their ongoing support of our library and our community.
