A popular fundraiser is back. Between now and Dec. 10, over a hundred gift baskets are being auctioned off by the Friends of the Bella Vista Library. It's been a traditiona for about ten years and is one of the Friends' best fundraisers.
Committee Chair Susan Ferraro said she usually starts in July. Local businesses bring donations to the library and she collects them and stores them in her sunroom. In fact, her entire sunroom is turned over to the project.
There used to be a committee that put together the baskets, but as members slowly moved on, Ferraro realized it was easier to do the work herself rather than coordinate a committee.
As the donations arrive she groups them together and then she looks for the appropriate basket. The baskets are also donated and sometimes she has to wait to find just the right one.
She has a small budget that she uses to add a few extras to each basket. For example after coffee cups and napkins were donated, she added muffin mix and fancy coffee to make a basket.
They are all set up in the front of the library so patrons can make bids. The winner of each item sill be notified by phone after the auction ends on Dec. 10.
There are always a few standalone items along with the baskets. This year, there are three signed photos of baseball legends and several decorator items made from wood recovered from Joplin, after the tornado.
In the past the gift baskets have raised up to $4,000, Ferraro said. The gift basket and the annual membership drive supply most of the Friends' annual budget.
At one time, the Friends of the Library paid for some of the library's operating expenses, but since the city now covers those costs, most of the group's budget will be donated to the expansion project, Library Director Roxie Wright confirmed. The Library Foundation has been raising funds for the expansion for about three and a half years and still have a ways to go.
General News on 11/23/2016