ALTA announces winners of Major Benefactors Honor award
Contact: Gretchen Kalwinski
Program Assistant, ALTA
312-280-2161
For Immediate Release
June 21, 2005
ALTA announces winners of Major Benefactors Honor award
CHICAGO -- The Simon Family, Hemlock Federal Bank, and James T. Smith are the 2005 winners of the Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA) Major Benefactors Honor award. The award, two specially prepared citations for the recipients and the beneficiary library, is given to individuals, families or corporate bodies for major benefactions to public libraries.
In June 2003, the Simon family made a $1 million gift to the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation for the Central Library's renovation and expansion. Various family members and the Pacers Foundation (the charitable arm of the family's NBA team) also provide ongoing support for the library's children's reading programs. According to Louis Mahern, president of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Board, the Simons are “one of Indianapolis' leading philanthropic families; their giving sets an example that many others follow.
Over the past few years, Hemlock Federal Bank in Bolingbrook, Ill. has donated several thousand dollars to the Fountaindale Public Library District Library. Initially, the funds were used to help with the purchase of their new bookmobile, and Hemlock's most recent donation was used to enhance the bookmobile selection, with a special emphasis on the senior population.
Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith provided a 9.7 percent increase (over $2,200,000) in the library's operating budget, the largest increase given to any county agency and the largest in Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) history. Frequently, he cites libraries as an important component of his community revitalization plan and visits (and occasionally participates in) Baltimore County Public Library's preschool story times. His presence there, according to the president of the BCPL board of trustees, has resulted in “a number of local and state elected officials participating in these events and gaining a greater understanding of the importance of libraries to young children and their caregivers.”
Established in 1976, the Major Benefactors Honor Award is a specially prepared citation established to give recognition to individuals, families or corporate bodies who have made major benefactions to public libraries. The award is presented locally in a ceremony at the library, and consists of two specially prepared citations for the recipient(s) and the beneficiary library. The significance of the gift will be measured from the point of view of the recipient library, rather than by the size of the gift alone.
