Dear Friends,
When you reflect on the past year, what comes to mind? It can be easy to suggest that 2021 was a year best forgotten. It had plenty of bad, especially with the Marshall Fire and the rise of Omicron. But if we focus on the bad, we’ll miss the good. I recall a quote from Willie Nelson – “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”
While the Foundation and library had challenges in 2021, we also had many “blessings,” which are detailed in the “Celebrate 2021” article of this newsletter.
In addition to all of those successes, we also appreciate how well Denver Public Library brought connection to our community. If books could talk, they would tell you that the library was and is here for everyone – the regular customers who know library staff by name, the casual reader, the job seeker looking for resume help, those utilizing curbside pickup to prevent Omicron exposure, and home delivery for customers who can’t visit a library. Thank you for helping services like these happen with your gifts to the Foundation.
As we look toward 2022, we know we all have plenty of challenges and opportunities. One of the Foundation’s most exciting initiatives is completing a community process to determine how to best fund the library so that it can equitably and reliably address the City’s most pressing needs. We look forward to sharing more about this soon.
As you face 2022, you have my very best wishes for good things, and don’t forget your “blessings”! Take care and be well.
Jeff Riley
P.S. “If Books Could Talk” is a theme on our new website. For more stories go to dplfriends.org.