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04/18/2018 08:30 AMAs a lifelong East Haven resident, Ronald Whitney has always enjoyed spending time at the Hagaman Memorial Library. Throughout his childhood and time in East Haven schools, he spent much of his time at the library.
In his early adulthood, Ron got a job that involved traveling, often being on assignment out of state and sometimes out of the country. After he started a family, his schedule became even busier.
“There was a hiatus when I wasn’t involved in the library, but after 20 years, I got back involved,” says Ron. “Once that happened, I thought there might be something I could give back.”
Even when Ron was working and absent from the Hagaman, he was still involved with libraries throughout the United States, Canada, France, the U.K., and Germany. Part of his job included capturing deteriorating books onto microfilm.
More recently, his company began a campaign that encouraged people to share their stories about experiences with libraries; for every story shared, the company donated money to the publicity campaign for the expansion of library budgets. Ron approached several libraries, including the Hagaman, where he went before the Board of Trustees.
“[Library Director] Bruce George asked me to come down and present the case to the board to see if there was interest,” says Ron. “At the time, they were looking for a board member and expressed that so I contacted the mayor’s office and got appointed.”
Ron is now in his second three-year term as a volunteer member of the Board of Trustees. The nine-member board meets monthly to ensure there is funding to support the director, who manages staff, purchasing, and activities.
The board’s goal is to offer “a place, that is a safe, nurturing, and enriching environment for both our children and our adults to look, listen, and learn,” says Ron. “There are a lot of good folks on the board who serve out of their love for the library. Everyone remembers the library because libraries change lives.”
One of the passions he brings to the board is working on making the library more accessible for everyone on many levels, from programming to creating accessible spaces. He and the board are currently working on fundraising efforts to replace the existing elevator with a new one that will also provide access to the community room—the Hagaman’s biggest space that has a stage. At this point, money has been raised to hire an architect, but more funds are needed to move ahead with the project.
For the past two years, the Board of Trustees has organized the library’s involvement with The Great Give, raising $600 the first year and more than $3,000 in 2017.
The Great Give was created by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven nine years ago. According to www.thegreatgive.org, the Great Give is an “annual 36-hour online fundraising event that unites donors with charitable organizations serving Greater New Haven in a fun and engaging way.”
The 2018 Great Give begins on Tuesday, May 1 at 8 a.m. and runs through Wednesday, May 2. Ron is hoping for even better numbers to work toward progress on the elevator project. During this time, supporters can visit www.hagamanlibrary.org for a link directly to the Great Give website.
In addition to receiving the funds donated, the Great Give awards several prizes to participating organizations throughout the 36 hours, including five “early bird” prizes of $1,000 to the five organizations with the greatest number of unique donors in the opening hour, a 90th anniversary Grand Prize Challenge of $9,000 to the organization with the greatest number of unique donors from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on May 1 in recognition of 90th anniversary of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and many more.
“Last year we won some prize money based on what was donated,” says Ron. “We won a ‘Most Improved’ prize of $2,500 as well as other prizes last year, which was a nice jump.”
After paying for supplies, postage, and more, last year’s Great Give resulted in $5,568.79 for the Hagaman Memorial Library. Ron also understands that some people aren’t able to donate online and noted there will be a donation box at the library as well.
The money raised through the Great Give will be earmarked toward the elevator project. Ron and the board are also looking into other financing options including state grants and other donors. In the coming months, the architect will present the proposal for the project to the board.
“That should give us solid numbers to present for the capital budget and grant application,” says Ron, who enjoys spending time with his grandchildren and his dog. “We could be looking at a five-year timeline before it’s completed.”
Ron and the board also work closely with the Friends of the Hagaman Library, which helps to spread the word about the Great Give. Information on the fundraiser is also sent to community members who have signed up for the library’s mailing list. Those who wish to be added to the list can call Community Services Librarian Cynthia Gwiazda at 203-468-3890.
Ron notes that this kind of fundraising is important to the library’s success because, while the town supports the library building and the staff salaries, the materials at the library, the programming, and improvements like the elevator are paid for through donated monies through the Friends of the Hagaman Library or legacy giving.
“We’re constantly trying to update and offer new things—new videos, new audio, and new materials for lending,” says Ron. “We count on the friends for a lot for things like that. They raise a lot of money for the library. If you receive an email blast from them, we encourage you to forward it to your friends and relatives and spread the word.”