Vancouver Regional Library Feature
This month, we’re thrilled to have the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation as our Referral Rewards Partner. The FVRL Foundation is a nonprofit that supports the regional library district in its programs and resources and ensures that the library district is enhancing its mission. In our region we’re fortunate to have a library system that includes 14 libraries! In addition to supporting the district’s libraries, the foundation and its members create events and programs that engage communities of all ages and backgrounds. One of the foundation’s goals is to “strive to build public and private initiatives that provide opportunities to enrich lifelong learning throughout our community.”
The foundation was established in 1990 when a group of library patrons gathered with the mission to further the library’s success within their given communities. With this support system, the district has expanded to cover 4,200 square miles and multiple counties with its headquarters in downtown Vancouver. Some of the programs it supports include the Summer Learning program, early literacy initiatives, author events and The Reach Out and Read Program at the Vancouver Clinic. These programs and events are specifically designed to promote reading from an early age to adulthood. For example, The Grow a Reader program places bins filled with books and reading tips in waiting rooms and facilities that serve high-needs populations. The hope is that patients and visitors will read while they wait for appointments and become inspired to continue to read and learn. By promoting literacy, reading and learning through programs such as these, the foundation strengthens communities.
One of the focuses of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation is the 14 Friends of the Library groups. Each Friends of the Library Group supports its own branch of the library through book sales, hosting library programs and acting as the liaison between the library and its community. As the organization that supports these Friends groups, the FVRL Foundation says they provide, “technical assistance and administrative support so that each individual group can be more effective in supporting their local library branch.” The foundation helps the 14 groups collaborate and share information at the annual Friends Fair and serves as an administrative support on both community and federal levels. FVRL Foundation is also working with local Friends groups to raise money for much-needed new buildings for the Ridgefield, Washougal, and Woodland Libraries. We’re proud of the way the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation encourages reading and learning initiatives, and we’re honored to partner with them for our November Referral Rewards Program!
