Why Become a Friends Member?
A good question. That’s why in 2021 we asked members why they had joined. The resounding reply, “To support Worthington Libraries.”
Our members are big fans of the Worthington Libraries, and as a Friend, they know they can make a real contribution to the vitality and sustainability of the library. Friends members believe that a strong library is a valuable cultural, educational and recreational resource for our community. They want to be part of a group of people who share an interest and enthusiasm for keeping our library one of the best in the country.
There were other reasons cited in our member survey:
- Advance notice of book sales and admission to Member-Only book sale previews
- Discounted rates for attendance at author visits and other events
- Email newsletter sent four or five times a year with updates on library programs and services and organization activities, member profiles and board meeting highlights
- Invitations to Members-Only events
We don’t hand out ice cream treats to new members, as Friends board members did to these brothers at Summer Reading Club kick-off event. Each new member receives a welcome thank you letter and an invitation to become involved.
And there is more. Members are routinely invited to participate in library meetings, focus groups and public forums to share their views on issues or proposed initiatives being considered by library leaders. Friends members are having an impact on the future of our library while also serving as library ambassadors to the community at large.
Finally, for some members, being a member provides an opportunity to have fun and get involved. There are many volunteer opportunities available through the Friends. You can assist at book sales or help with Friends-sponsored programs and fund-raising events. It’s a great way to meet fellow library supporters!
How to Join
Annual membership contributions are one way the Friends organization raises money to support educational and community outreach programs. Becoming a member for as little as $25 a year can help support activities like the summer reading program, the community’s celebration of public libraries, special enrichment programs for children, teens and adults, and staff development and recognition activities.
You can become a Friends member, renew an existing membership or give someone else a gift membership by using the links below. Please join us and demonstrate your support for Worthington Libraries.
Membership is offered at several support levels and can begin at just $25, so choose the Friend membership contribution level you are most comfortable with. All memberships are fully tax deductible.
MEMBERSHIP LEVELS |
| Short Story ($25) |
| Paperback ($50) |
| Novel ($75) |
| Masterpiece ($100) |
| First Edition ($250) |
| Lifetime (A one-time donation of at least $2,500) |
The Friends Foundation of Worthington Libraries
820 High Street
Worthington, OH 43085
JOIN ONLINE TODAY
RENEW ONLINE
Rather Join by Mail?
Complete the membership application form and return with check to:
Friends Foundation of Worthington Libraries
820 High Street.
Worthington, OH 43085
To renew your membership by mail, complete the membership renewal form and return.
Welcome to the Friends
If You’re a New Member, we’d like to get to get to know you better and completing our online membership form will help us. In addition to verifying your contact information, we’d like to find out which library location(s) you use regularly, how you learned about the Friends, and your interests. It’s very brief. When you have completed the form, make sure to click submit.
If You’ve Renewed Your Membership, but have never completed our online membership form, we invite you to provide the same information we are requesting from new members. Learning more about you will assist us in better meeting your needs and planning programs and activities.
Thanks for being a Friend!
Become a friends member
Getting first dibs on purchasing books at a Friends book sale event is one of the benefits of being a Friends member. That’s why David Bissell and his daughter Victoria Peregrina joined the Friends.
Both are voracious readers, which David attributes to his cultivating a love for reading in both his children. He read to them at a young age, as his father did with him. A former reading teacher and literacy coach, Victoria now serves as an educational consultant on project-based learning.
At a recent sale, David, who reads mostly fiction, bought several books, including an early edition of The Brothers Karamazov and The New Yorker Book of Business Cartoons, which he plans to give to his son. Victoria bought about 30 books, half of them children’s books for a friend who is a kindergarten teacher.
By becoming a Friends member, you, too, can have the first chance of acquiring your favorite books. And, who knows, you might meet David and Victoria at a future sale.
JOIN NOW
The response of the libraries’ staff to the COVID-19 pandemic motivated long-time library patron Linda Blumenthal to make a major donation to the Friends. She has been using the library for more than 35 years and decided now was the time to pay back. Like others, she really appreciated the effort the library staff put in to circulating books during the pandemic.
Linda is not only a patron, but was also a former library staff member. She began working for the library in 1983, shortly after her family moved to Worthington during the days before the library was computerized and everything was checked out by hand. Eventually she took a position with McGraw Hill as a science textbook writer until her retirement 15 years later. However, retirement wasn’t satisfying for this life-long learner so she returned to textbook writing, this time on a freelance basis. For more than 20 years she’s been busy writing textbooks, mostly in biology and chemistry, for middle and high school students.
If you were impressed with the special efforts the library staff made to offer services during the pandemic, why not join Linda in making a special gift to the Friends? You can choose to make a donation to the library’s Annual Grant, which funds ongoing library programs and provides support for staff, or to the Friends Foundation Funds at the Columbus Foundation, which supports long-term major projects.
GET STARTED TODAY
Your gift makes a difference
HOW YOUR MEMBERSHIP
CONTRIBUTION IS SPENT
Whether you are a new member or an existing member, the Friends Board of Directors wants all members to know how their membership contribution, along with income from book sales, fundraising events and donations, is being used.
These various revenue sources are used to support library educational and community outreach programs as well as staff development and recognition activities through our Annual Grant Fund to the library. In 2022, the board awarded a grant totaling $63,700. This amount included a carryover of approximately $25,700, for a net award of $38,000. The chart indicates how these funds are projected to be spent.
