High $5 Fundraising Campaign Helps Library Meet Local Needs

St. Cloud, MN, February 2014: Great River Regional Library is beginning its annual “High $5” fundraising campaign, which runs Saturday, March 1 through Monday, March 31.

“We like to call it our entry level fundraiser,” said Julie Henne, the library’s associate director for public relations. “We ask for a $5 donation, or more. It isn’t a large amount of money for any one individual, but if all of our cardholders contributed it would make a big impact.” As of Jan. 1, 2014, the library system had 129,161 cardholders whose families use 32 branch libraries across Central Minnesota.

Forty percent of High $5 funds donated are retained for use at each location. Those funds have been used to support the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program, Summer Reading Program activities, construction of new book shelves and other local purposes. The portion that goes into the library system’s operating budget is used for books and technology, staffing or other areas of need, benefiting the entire region.

Individuals wishing to make a High $5 donation may stop by their closest GRRL branch library. The library also accepts donations online at griver.org on its Support the Library page, where patrons may indicate a branch location via an Instructions/Comments line.

For information about donating to the library, contact Julie Henne, associate director for public relations, at 320-650-2532.

Great River Regional Library (GRRL) provides library services at 32 public libraries in Benton, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd and Wright Counties. It provides Central Minnesota residents with nearly 1 million books, CDs and DVDs, 250 public computers, programming and information services.

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