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Note from the Executive Director –
Annual Campaign

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Dear Friend of the Library Foundation,

 

As we celebrate the holiday season and bring 2022 to a close, we hope you can make a gift today to ensure the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach can continue to make our community a better place to live, work, and play.

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The West Palm Beach Library Foundation is committed to ensuring that these programs, offered by the Mandel Public Library, continue to be available at NO COST to our community with your generous gift:

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Elementary and Teen Homework Centers

  • After-school programs for students in grades K-12.

  • Certified teachers assist with homework, projects, and test preparation.

  • The Library always provides free healthy snacks.

  • The library continues to provide free tutoring services Monday – Thursday and most weekends year-round.

  • Over 2,000 students have received direct tutoring assistance.

 

New Technology & Innovation Center

  • This new space allows for creativity and collaboration; it invites access to virtual reality, media digitization, drawing and animation, music and podcasting, and 3D design & printing.

  • One of the newest additions to this center is a Whisper Room, a 5-by-5 soundproof booth where visitors can use the library’s wi-fi for job interviews, and recording podcasts, free from outside noise interference.

  • Patrons can drop by during Open Access hours or book a session to use the studio.

  • Over 1,453 patrons have learned how to use the latest technology tools in this state-of-the-art Center.

 

Mandel Mobile

  • The library’s outreach, Wi-Fi enabled minivan, visits city parks, and community resource centers.

  • The Mandel Mobile has assisted over 1,800 residents of WPB where they live and play.

  • Library staff, including a certified educator, provide essential resources to the community directly which include: homework assistance, learning English, job and community service applications, and distribution of hygiene kits and diapers.

 

Be Well at Mandel

  • Individuals and families in Palm Beach County have access to vital social and therapeutic services with the addition of a social worker at the Mandel Library.

  • The program provides one-on-one case management, therapeutic support, and advocacy for life’s most difficult challenges.

  • Services include referrals and linkages to programs assisting with food, housing, mental health, childcare, domestic violence, mental health/substance use treatment, healthcare, and more.

 

Job Help & Small Business Resources

  • The program focuses on helping those who are underemployed, unemployed, or veterans eager to find work.

  • Workshop Instructors and Career Counselors assist jobseekers with:

    • Preparing eye-catching, resumes, cover letters, completing job application and preparing for the interview process and follow-up.

    • The library has started a new small business program that has worked with 25 citizens to launch their businesses from start to finish.

    • Over 335 citizens have attended job training workshops at the library and over 350 searches to the library’s online job resources.

 

Storytimes to the Community

  • Librarians continue to bring the library into the community by providing face-to-face story times to our local daycares and schools.

  • Librarians design, create, pack, and distribute weekly story time kits based on themes for teachers to use in their classrooms.

  • For classrooms that cannot have a live reader, our librarians recorded thirty-one interactive story times to share with our classrooms.

  • Over 12,000 story time kits were distributed in 2022.

 

Winter and Summer Reading Initiatives

  • Prevent the dreaded academic “summer slide.”

  • Summer Learning 2022 offers our youth:

    • Small group tutoring by certified teachers for students each week.

    • A reading program that provides gift books for upwards of 3,000 children (K-12) fosters a love of reading and help build home libraries.

    • Activities to keep youth motivated and engaged including art, fitness, science, dance, crafting, technology, music, and more.

    • Over 1,900 readers have read almost 400,000 minutes and over 12,000 books in 2022.

 

Studio 411

  • Studio 411 is the central location for anyone interested in arts.

  • It offers hands-on art classes for anyone interested in painting, drawing, sculpture to Cricut creations and sewing.

  • Patrons can use the studio for personal projects, class projects, collaboration on new projects, and guidance provided by local artists.

 

We recognize and thank you for your long-standing advocacy and generosity supporting the library. You can continue to make our work possible by making a gift to the West Palm Beach Library Foundation by using the enclosed response card and return envelope.

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We hope you enjoy time with your loved ones this holiday season!

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Regards,

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Dean W. Dimke
Executive Director
West Palm Beach Library Foundation

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Phone: 561-868-7793
Email: ddimke@wpbcitylibrary.org

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