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Community-Wide Festival to Kickoff Lafayette Library & Learning Center Community Campaign

Save the Date:	April 17, 2005 1-5 pm
Why:	Free, Community-wide Kick-Off Celebration An opportunity to preview and experience the extensive offerings of the future Lafayette Library & Learning Center
Where:	Downtown Lafayette

LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA, February 16, 2005 – On April 17, Lafayette welcomes the world to a community-wide Kick-off Celebration for the new Lafayette Library & Learning Center. The Kick-Off Celebration, months in the planning, will give attendees a “taste” of the rich and varied programming that will be offered when the Lafayette Library & Learning Center opens its doors.

Hailed as a “national model” for libraries, the Lafayette Library & Learning Center will also be home to the Glenn Seaborg Consortium, an innovative partnership of the region’s leading arts, culture, and educational institutions.

Most of those institutions – including the Oakland Zoo, the Oakland Museum of California, the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, the Lawrence Hall of Science, and many others will be offering programs during the day.

Says Roxy Klein, one of four co-chairs for the day, “We are so excited about the quality of the programming we’ll be showcasing that day. There will be something for everyone – from the Zoomobile for kids to a talk on sustainability from the Greenbelt Alliance to entertaining tips from the East Bay’s ‘gold-standard’ caterer, Susan Foord.”

The day’s events will be free, and will feature the opportunity to see the architectural model of the new building, and hear highlights of the design created by Killefer-Flammang, a firm renowned for their work in designing beautiful, functional, sustainable libraries.

The Lafayette project has attracted national attention for its unique consortium approach, and recently one of the state library grants to help finance its construction. The April 17 celebration also kicks off the public phase of the community campaign to raise approximately one-third of the funds needed to build and endow the library. The private campaign goal is $11 million, $9 for construction, $2 million to launch the endowment fund. The quiet phase of the campaign has already raised $8.2 million.

Anne Grodin, chair of the Lafayette Community Foundation board, and chair of the campaign, says, “We’ve been delighted with the response to our project – and can’t wait to tell our story to every resident in our community, and invite their participation. This wonderful day, orchestrated by the co-chairs, and supported by our community campaign chairs, Teresa Gerringer and Don Tatzin, will showcase an entirely new era in libraries.”

Maria Hjelm, consortium relations coordinator, has worked with consortium partners to put together an unparalleled day of learning and entertainment. “Whether you come watch the Lindsay Wildlife Museum’s breathtaking ‘Birds of Prey’ show or hear an entirely new take on Ansel Adams’ photography from the Oakland Museum, we promise something for everyone.”

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Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Suite 214, Lafayette, CA 94549-1472
www.lafayettelib.com