About Us
The Friends of the GLCL is a group of dedicated volunteers who value the library as an important community resource. All interested individuals who volunteer their time and/or contribute monetarily to the Glen Lake Community Library are defined as Friends. There are no membership dues.
A Board of Directors provides leadership and coordination of the Friends’ fundraising and volunteer activities. Members of the Executive Committee:
- President: Annabel Moore
- Vice President: Barbara Siegel
- Co-Secretaries: Carolyn Ballmer, Mary Tris
- Treasurer: Mary Peterson
How the Friends Support the Glen Lake Community Library
The overall purposes of the Friends’ group:
- Generating funds to support the library
- Encouraging and receiving gifts and donations to the library
- Focusing public attention and stimulating the use of the library’s resources and services
- Providing volunteer support for library services
Examples of Friends’ activities to advance these purposes:
- Yearly unrestricted monetary gifts to support book purchases and services.
- Providing funds for additional special projects and equipment.
- Coordinating the “shelving” volunteers who contribute over 600 hours each year.
- Contributing financially for capital needs such as renovation and expansion of the library building.
- Organizing an annual Holiday Book Drive which provides a new wrapped book to area pre-school and elementary students.
- Underwriting, assembling and mailing the GLCL semi-annual newsletters, mailed to residents in Empire, Glen Lake and Kasson townships.
- Maintaining a designated book sales area in the library, including sorting book donations, shelving books, and boxing unsold books to be sold on consignment by a local used book company.
- Organizing and staffing Pop-Up book sales for the public throughout the year.
Upcoming Friends Events
- February 10, 2025 – Annual Meeting at 10:15am in the Program Room of the GLCL
- February 22, 2025 – Winter Fest Pop-Up Book Sale
- April 6-12, 2025 – National Library Week
- June 7, 2025 – Asparagus Festival Pop-Up Book Sale
Be a Friend of the Library!
Volunteer: Call or visit the Library to indicate your interest in volunteering
Contribute Materials: Donate your used books, recordings, puzzles and more
Make a Charitable Contribution:
- Direct your gift to the Friends of the Glen Lake Community Library
- Donations can be mailed to Friends of the GLCL, PO Box 325, Empire MI 49630
- The Friends of the GLCL is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization
All contributions directly benefit the llibrary
History of the Friends of the Glen Lake Community Library
The Friends of the Glen Lake Community Library have been instrumental in the growth and development of our wonderful library. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Friends raise funds and coordinate volunteer efforts solely to support the library.
From their founding in 1977, the Friends group has supported the library by volunteering as needed and by funding operational costs, book purchases, equipment, furnishings, and landscaping. Early on, the Friends began to set aside funds earmarked for capital improvements, from which we provided monetary support to building fund drives and renovation expenses in 1982-83, 1987, and 1997, culminating in 2020 with a donation of $100,000 for the major building expansion and remodeling of the library we are so proud of today. The Friends recently funded the purchase and maintenance of a large back-up generator so the library can remain open during power outages.
In addition to encouraging donations and volunteerism, the Friends have created or participated in other major fundraisers throughout the library’s existence. The Friends held large annual used book sales for many years, which have now become a series of Friends’ pop-up sales throughout the year, in addition to continual used book sales within the library building. The Friends held their first home tour in 1980, which continued to be a popular and successful fund raiser through 2022.
We are most grateful to the community, which has always supported the Friends generously through financial donations and volunteer time, knowing that all such donations will be used to benefit the library.
