The Phoenix Public Library Foundation raised over $150,000 at their 22nd annual Dinner in the Stacks fundraising night at the Burton Barr Library on Saturday.
The night was an upscale affair with dinner, cocktails and live music. There was also a live and silent auction held among the library’s shelves of books.
More than 400 people attended the event, which emcee Brahm Resnik referred to as “the only night of the year you can party in a library.”
Among those attending was Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who expressed her belief in the importance of the library to the Phoenix community.
“Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, you understand what these libraries do for our communities,” Gallego said.
She supported the library with more than just her words; the items up for bid included a lunch with the mayor, which sold for $4,500.
The money raised will go to the Phoenix Public Library Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides support for the library’s many programs that extend beyond loaning out books.
“The city pays for all the basic needs of the library: They keep the lights on, they pay the staff, they pay for the books,” said Kelly Bushong, Executive Director for the Phoenix Public Library Foundation. “The foundation’s role, really, is to supplement that funding for all the needs for things above and beyond that.”
In addition to raising money, the event raises awareness among the public for the library’s programs.
“People don’t always know what libraries are doing in today’s world. Most people’s concept of what a library is comes from their childhood, or maybe from their college experience,” said Rita Hamilton, City Librarian for the City of Phoenix. “So to hear where we’ve taken library service is interesting to a lot of people, and they don’t know about that.”
Among the many programs they provide are workforce training, computer programming camps, entrepreneurship education and preschool education assistance.
The event specifically highlighted College Depot, a service created to help prospective students navigate the labyrinth of college admissions. College Depot celebrated the tenth anniversary of its founding the same day as the dinner.
College Depot received more than 22,000 unique visitors between 2009 and 2018, helping thousands work through tasks like the FAFSA or to work toward their GED.
“I worked with College Depot for nine years, and I’ve really seen over the years what it can do for people coming in asking for advice or exploring their options,” said Elenia Sotelo, the former assistant director for College Depot. “It’s generational, the impact that it can have.”
One example of this impact is the story of Prince Murray, a Liberian refugee whose family immigrated to Phoenix in 2006 at the age of 14 in the aftermath of the Liberian Civil Wars.
Liberia had no free public education, and because of this Murray had only completed school to a second-grade level.
When he arrived in the United States, Murray found himself placed in the eighth grade. He struggled to make it through.
“I was a third-year senior. If I didn’t pass the AIMS test by the time I was 21, they were going to kick me out of high school,” he said.
With the assistance of College Depot, Murray went on to graduate high school and earn an associate’s degree from Glendale Community College before pursuing a political science degree at Arizona State University.
“College Depot has always been there for me. They didn’t just provide me with the resources, but also with the motivation. They were like a family to me,” Murray said.
Dinner at the Stacks is one small showcase of Phoenix’s broad public and philanthropic support for the Phoenix Library system.
“There is a new narrative that these things we provide to our communities are no longer necessary. We cannot let that narrative take hold. Every city, to be great, must have a library that lifts the hopes of its people,” said Steven Seleznow, President of the Arizona Community Foundation. The organization exists to support nonprofits and government agencies in Arizona and received special honors at the event this year.
“We are willing to take out our checkbooks to make that happen,” Seleznow added.
Contact the reporter at mrpatto2@asu.edu.
