Day: May 10, 2022

Looks like he’s almost half way to his destination leaving from Tortola and heading to Exuma, Bahamas

Back home from Norway. The flight was a reminder of how climate change is affecting the North. The first 5 photos are at the southeast coast of Iceland. The last 5 are over Greenland, and our evening pass by Gloucester, landing at Logan.

Orange…

Everyone needs socks and underwear but …

You can’t buy socks and underwear in a thrift store! They’re essential but too personal to be handed down. From May 15 to 31 the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church will join forces with the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport and local clothing stores, Nelson’s in Gloucester and the John Tarr Store in Rockport, to collect donations of new socks and underwear for children and adults. Nelson’s and the John Tarr Store will generously offer sales on donation items to support the collection drive.

 All donations will go directly to families and individuals served by two local organizations: Pathways for Children and The Grace Center. Pathways for Children is a nonprofit providing support, education and childcare for low income families on the North Shore. The Grace Center is a Gloucester day resource center serving adults in need of support. The Grace Center is part of Lifebridge, a regional organization providing shelter services in Gloucester, Salem and Beverly.

Collection bins for donations of new socks and underwear for adults and children of all sizes and ages will be located at the side door of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, 10 Church Street, Gloucester, outside the Rockport Society, 4 Cleaves Street, Rockport, and also inside Nelson’s, 248 Main Street, Gloucester; and the John Tarr Store, 49 Main Street, Rockport. Those who prefer to support the cause with financial contributions may mail checks made out to the Gloucester Church with “Socks and Underwear” on the memo line.

Last year’s socks and underwear drive brought in $550 and 769 items of clothing. “Respect for the worth and dignity of every individual is a central tenet of Unitarian Universalism,” said Holly Tanguay, Co-President of the Gloucester church. “It’s hard to think of a better way to support individual dignity than by providing clean new undergarments to those who need them.” Frank Freedman staff member at the Grace Center reports that, “Underwear, socks and toiletries are the essentials most requested by our clients.”

Kathy Wilson, volunteer coordinator at Pathways, spoke about how important community support is to fulfilling their mission, “Pathways for Children depends on our collaboration with partners and community to meet ongoing needs, especially during these challenging times.  Donations such as socks and underwear provide much needed help for children and families impacted by economic inequity.” Questions about donating may be addressed to the Gloucester church at  info@gloucesteruu.org.

One of my favorite things about spring is our favorite services and establishments re-opening for the upcoming season. We were delighted to see that Russell Orchards in Ipswich is open and ready for you to visit. Always a fun spot for children, I noticed what I think is a new play area near the pond. All our favorites have returned along with some new temptations. This is a regular stop for us and maybe we will see you there soon! Sorry, Joey, no donuts for you this time…….

CAMPAIGN FAST FACTS

Ways to Reach Us

sawyerfree2025.org

Facebook: Sawyer Free 2025

Instagram: Sawyer Free 2025

YouTube: Sawyer Library Foundation 2025

info@sawyerfree2025.org

media@sawyerfree2025.org

Call 978.225.0915 

Text to donate to Sawyer Free 2025: Text “325182” to 1-855-575-7888 

Checks to: SF2025, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930. (Pay to the order of: “Sawyer Library Foundation”)

Campaign Bullets

✓ What is Sawyer Free Library 2025?

Sawyer Free 2025 (visit sawyerfree2025.org) is a philanthropic capital campaign to fund a comprehensive renovation and modernization of Gloucester’s existing library building, designed by local architect Don Monell. The project will preserve the original exterior and also double the size of the existing library’s footprint by constructing a 15,000-square foot addition that extends the library toward School Street. 

The project’s design principles are grounded in the human experience and a mission to put people first. The newly renovated and expanded Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library will stand as an exemplar of what a 21st century educational, cultural, civic and community hub can and should be in terms of architecture, accessibility, sustainability, the use of natural resources and light, layouts, lines of sight, air quality and public safety. The interior will comprise three, seamlessly navigable floors featuring multimodal wayfinding, state-of-the-science embedded technology and customized acoustical elements.

Sawyer Free 2025 constitutes a once-in-a-lifetime transformational investment in a vital community resource that will exponentially amplify the library’s ability to deliver critical services and outcomes not only for Gloucester, but for communities across Cape Ann and the North Shore as a place of equity, inclusion, connection, creation, compassion, renewal and advancement. 

The project’s total projected cost is $28 million, a sum that includes built-in inflation costs through completion of the project in 2025. The completion of the new facility will result in a  25-percent increase in annual visitors, a 25-percent increase in the number of public programs offered each month and a 50-percent increase in the number of programs hosted at the library by partner agencies.

To learn more, find the “Visit Our Future” tile at sawyerfree2025.org, which goes live on May 10.

✓ Who put forward the building design?

Oudens Ello Architecture, which won a national AIA/ALA Library Building Award in 2018 for its design on the Eastham Public Library and a 2021 AIA New England Merit Award for its design of the Norwell Public Library. 

✓ Who is paying for the Sawyer Free Library renovation and addition?

The project is structured such that no public funds will cover any costs once the campaign is complete. Sawyer Free 2025 will ultimately be fully funded by philanthropic donations set in motion by an integrated media capital campaign under the direction of the Sawyer Library Foundation.

The Sawyer Free Library 2025 campaign employs no full-time paid staff and every member of the Sawyer Library Foundation Board is a volunteer. Campaign marketing costs are a pre-budgeted component of the campaign. Accordingly, 100 percent of donations will go to fund the library renovation and expansion project.

A provisional award of a $9.3 million matching grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners will account for just over one third of the project’s total projected cost. Including the MBLC grant, the campaign has already raised $14.1 million in pledged donations.

✓ How Will The Campaign Roll Out 

The campaign will employ traditional methods to engage the community and raise awareness via print and digital earned media as well paid media, including television advertising on Comcast cable and streaming platforms, sponsorship spots on WBUR-FM broadcast and streaming channels and other local radio advertising. 

Sawyer Free 2025 will also deploy robust, state-of-the-science assets across digital and social media, including an interactive campaign website built by a user-experience designer, text to donate functionality and other easy ways to give electronically, SEO-optimized campaign pages on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, SEM-optimized social media ad placement, contests and staged crowdsourced events designed to go viral and targeted email marketing. 

Other traditional campaign-awareness tools will include visibility assets (signage, banners, mailers), campaign-awareness community events, a public display of the project and even broader outreach made possible by the library’s more than 100 North Shore nonprofit and civil service providers, including Wellspring, Pathways for Children, The Open Door, The Cape Ann Museum, the Cape Ann YMCA and the City of Gloucester, among many others.

The principal agency behind the Sawyer Free 2025 integrated media plan and strategic marketing campaign is GloWEST Communications, LLC. Supporting agencies include Simplicity Lab, DGA Productions, Clyde Media Productions, Octocog, Armstrong Brand Consulting and Tracy Davis PR.

✓ How do I know the Sawyer Library Foundation is tax-exempt?

View the Sawyer Library Foundation’s Determination Letter as a 501(c)(3) organization issued by the IRS at sawyerfree2025.org. Our EIN is: 84-2837206. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

✓ How does Sawyer Free Library 2025 keep payment data secure?

The Sawyer Library Foundation uses the Donorbox.org payment gateway for online donations. Payment gateways encrypt credit card information to process payments, protecting donors from card data theft and fraud. Donorbox serves the non-profit and charitable endeavors sector exclusively. Gifts can also be made through PayPal and Venmo within the donorbox gateway.

Recognized as a Capterra “Shortlist” top-performing fundraising software in 2021, the Donorbox platform is Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard-compliant. This is the most stringent level of certification available in the electronic payments industry. Donorbox also features an added layer of protection by using an independent vendor—the Stripe Radar fraud detection system—which is one of the world’s most secure and trusted payment providers, currently used by Twitter, Shopify, Kickstarter and Lyft.

✓ Are There Other Ways to Give to Sawyer Free 2025?

• Visit sawyerfree2025.org
• Text to donate: Text “325182” to 1-855-575-7888 
• Checks to: SF2025, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930 (Pay to the order of: “Sawyer Library Foundation”)
• Volunteer! Reach out if you want to pitch in at the library or on behalf of the capital campaign, either in person or virtually. Help your neighbors, serve your community and share your expertise. No matter what kind of volunteer work you do for us, you are contributing in invaluable ways.