Altadenans like Paula and Mark Mariscal ensure that organizations like the Altadena Library Foundation can plan for the future with confidence and with sustainability in mind. Beyond the countless hours of volunteer support to organizations across Altadena – Mark has served tirelessly as Altadena Library Foundation Treasurer and Board member for over 6 years. The Mariscal family has chosen to invest their giving in a vehicle for long-term impact in our community... the Altadena Library Foundation's permanent endowment in Pasadena Community Foundation. Gifts to this endowment ensure that the Altadena Library Foundation will benefit from its annual returns in perpetuity, providing a stable, sustainable source of funding to support critical library services and operations. In Mark's own words: In late 2020, our Altadena Library Foundation Board of Directors voted to create a Permanent Endowment inside the Pasadena Community Foundation. The starting balance of $75,000 came from contributions from different donors over the last 5 years to ALF. My wife and I are proud to have been donating over these last five years and some of our contributions are now in this permanent endowment. And of course, we intend to continue adding to the endowment with a yearly gift and with consideration in our Estate Planning documents.
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In 2021, Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Foundation provided critical funds to the Altadena Library Foundation that enabled the Altadena Library District to equip its mobile library, Curiosity Connection, for outreach programming and the distribution of literacy tools across Altadena. After a year of successful Curiosity Connection programs reaching over 1,500 Altadenans with essential library resources in every corner of Altadena, Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Foundation has renewed its commitment to the community of Altadena by awarding the Altadena Library Foundation a grant of $10,000 to support the expansion of Curiosity Connection resources. These important funds will allow the Altadena Libraries to purchase educational art and literacy equipment to support "mobile makerspace" pop-up events, in addition to needed vehicle upgrades to make operations even more efficient and safe. Thank you, Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Foundation, for supporting educational and community-building initiatives in Altadena! Below: Altadena Library District Trustee Rushmore Cervantes, Foundation President Bridget Brewster, and Foundation Treasurer Mark Mariscal attended the recent grant award reception to accept the award from Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Foundation President Mark Harmsen, past President Maxine Harris, and Board member Robin Flynn.
At the close of the year, the Altadena Library Foundation said farewell to two of our long-serving Board members Cushon Bell and Leslie Denk. Cushon and Leslie exemplified the generous spirit of our Foundation Directors, offering years of essential service that drove our marketing efforts and supported our Board. Their presence on our Board will be missed as they move on, but we are heartened to know they share a commitment to continued support and championing of our Altadena Libraries. In their own words: "I pursued the opportunity to serve on the Altadena Library Foundation Board because I wanted to contribute to the community I’ve called home for more than 20 years. The Altadena Libraries have held a special place in my heart for years because I have so many sweet memories of visiting them with my sons when they were young. Serving as an ALF Foundation director allowed me to use my passion for connecting people and ideas to facilitate growth of the ALF board. I will always treasure the relationships I was able to build with my fellow directors and Altadena neighbors during my four years with the Foundation." - Cushon Bell "The Altadena Library Foundation plays a vital role in our beloved library district, raising much needed funds to support literacy and accessibility, and it's been a pleasure and an honor to serve on its board. I have learned so much from each of the directors, as well as the library's leadership team and staff, and more importantly made lifelong friends. I encourage anyone looking for a volunteer opportunity in our community to consider serving on the foundation board. The library district is truly the heart of Altadena! " - Leslie Denk Seven new Little Free Libraries now stand across Altadena, at our local parks and in front of neighbors' homes thanks to the efforts of a very special young man and his fellow Scouts. Roman Aranda had many ideas he could have chosen for his Eagle Scout project, and he chose a place near and dear to his heart – his Altadena Libraries. Over the course of several months, Roman and fellow members of his dedicated Troop 351 built and raised $1,200 for the Altadena Library Foundation to pay for seven Little Free Libraries. Working with Altadena Library staff, they chose locations in which to install them in areas called "book deserts," or neighborhoods that lacked easy access to Little Free Libraries, so that even more Altadenans could access free books and other educational goodies distributed by the Curiosity Connection, Altadena's third library branch... on wheels! We are grateful to Roman and his team for helping expand the Altadena Library District's presence in Altadena!
Trudy Bohland is an avid reader and loves libraries. Her older brother Brian introduced her to the library when she was just a child. He helped her choose her very first library book. Trudy’s favorite childhood books are Mary Poppins and Little Women. The Bohland Kumanchik family have made annual contributions to the Altadena Library Foundation through the Bohland Family Charitable Gift Fund, founded by the late Jerry Bohland. Now, Trudy and her children ensure that the Bohland Family legacy to support children and local community causes continues to bring joy to children of all ages at the Altadena Libraries.
The Bohland Kumanchik Family has significantly enhanced our libraries with their generosity. Their meaningful gifts have not only improved the Children's space at the Main Library, but have allowed library staff to more effectively address other community needs. |