Women to lead Whitehall library fund-raising effort

            The Whitehall Public Library will launch in early October a fund-raising effort for the new library that will be led by women.

            “100 Extraordinary Women is a nationally recognized program that has raised funds for many libraries across Wisconsin,” said library director Amanda Hegge. “An amazing group of volunteer women are committed to supporting the campaign by raising $100,000 or more. It is a unique way for women in our community to come together and show their support.”

            The women who have volunteered to guide the fundraising will be hosting small, socially-distanced events in their homes Oct. 7, Hegge said. Before attending one of the sessions hosted by a Table Captain, women must pledge a donation to the library fund by Oct. 5. Each donor will then receive a hand-made gift with the 100 Extraordinary Women logo.

            The fundraising theme is “Roots and Wings,” Hegge said. “Roots to remind us where we are from and wings to show us what we can become.” 

            The library building effort needs to raise an additional $1.2 million, Hegge said. The new library will cost an estimated $3.2 million. That cost has been partially offset by a $750,000 donation from the late Whitehall resident Gale Gabriel. Other donations have added another $150,000 to the effort. Hegge said the library will be applying for a $1 million Community Development Block Grant. If an extra $850,000 can be raised, Hegge said the library building will include a community room.

            The 100 Extraordinary Women Initiative calls on a minimum of 100 women to donate and have their names listed in the new library, Hegge said. 

            “Women can give under their own name, or honor or remember another woman,” she said. “Men can sponsor a woman and many have already committed to this.” The $1,000 donation from each woman can be spread over three years, and women may form groups or clubs to help raise the donations, Hegge continued.

            “The library is in desperate need of a new facility,” Hegge said. “The current one does not meet American with Disabilities requirements, there is very little seating for visiting patrons, no way to keep some library zones quiet, no public gathering space, no private or quiet meeting or study rooms, and no storage space.

            “The new library will be a 21st century library,” Hegge continued, “and house a versatile, dynamic organization that addresses the needs of our community. The new building will include a separate children’s area, meeting and program spaces, small study rooms, technology with flexible design, quiet reading areas, and a teen space.

            “If sufficient funds can be raised, we will also have a much-needed community education, training and gathering room, with a separate entrance,” Hegge said. Initial renderings can be viewed at the library’s current location on Main Street in Whitehall.

            A new building will allow the Whitehall library to “live up to the standards of modern libraries as organizations meeting the demands of a changing society,” Hegge said.

            Those interested in participating in the fundraising may contact Hegge at 715-538-4107 or whtlpldirector@wrlsweb.org

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