Hello ,

“You must love your job.”

These words stopped me in my tracks. I do love my job, and it’s because of people like the longtime Library supporter on the other end of the phone line.

She called because in addition to her annual support, she wants to make a generous gift to the CommonSpark campaign. She told me she loves architecture and she’s proud to invest in bringing a Snøhetta-designed building to uptown Charlotte and thrilled it will be a public library. I was reminded of what the mayor of Calgary, Alberta said about the Central Library there, also designed by Snøhetta – that the building is a manifestation of the city’s values: every citizen deserves beauty, dignity, empowerment and knowledge.

Especially at this time of year, we’re all busy and there’s a lot at work, home and in the world to worry about. Our Library is accustomed to saying “yes” to every request, and it’s easy to focus on what we can’t do instead of what we are doing.

A call like this one is a powerful reminder that through it all, this community sees and appreciates the Library’s work – from virtual programs to laptop distribution, academic support and even the choice of world-class architects to create a building for all.

We never really know what sparks another person’s imagination and generosity, and hearing each donor's story is one reason why I do love my job.

Thank you for being one of many reasons. I hope you'll join us November 5th to celebrate libraries at Verse & Vino.

With gratitude,

Jenni Gaisbauer, CFRE
Executive Director

P.S. Why do you support your Library? I'd love to hear your reason. Email me, or share your story here.