January has been historically a slow news month, and it’s safe to say this one is following suit.
When a news items comes up and I get an invite to attend, you don’t have to ask me twice to go.
This was the case this past week when the Pittston Memorial Library held a special meeting to announce the kickoff of the capital campaign fundraiser. The attendance was small, but it was designed that way. Key players involved with what is being labeled at the Sustainability Campaign were present along with few library board members. The meeting was also broadcast online via Zoom.
So often we take for granted libraries, and I admit, I wasn’t a library kid growing up, but libraries are so essential and have way more to offer than back in my youth.
Growing up in West Pittston, we had an exceptional library and it wasn’t the library’s fault I didn’t frequent the place. Looking back at my academic career, maybe I should have stopped by on a few occasions for studying.
Going to the library was just another facet of my social life, whatever social life was like when you’re in elementary or junior high school. Today, not so, there are so many programs run for children as well as adults, it will make your head spin over the course of a year.
Libraries are constantly evolving to keep up with the times and technology. Unfortunately, it all comes at a cost and over the year, federal funding and state funding have been cut back and almost nonexistent and because of that, fundraising is the key to survival.
The other two Greater Pittston libraries, always facing the financial crunch, that do great work servicing their communities and beyond are the Wyoming Free Library headed by John Roberts and West Pittston Library led by David Bauman.
Howard Grossman, a selfless man dedicated in his retirement years to help the Pittston Memorial Library, serves as a part-time fundraising director. He has been a great asset over the years to the library and they are lucky to have him.
The goal for this year’s campaign is $40,000 and Sustainability Campaign chair, Rob Bresnahan, feels that number is a bit on the “light side.”
Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of writing about the 31-year-old entrepreneur/developer and president and CEO of a local electrical construction business. Rob’s a good guy to have in your corner, and what I like about him is he has the enthusiasm and energy to spearhead a project like raising $40,000. Jessica (Linskey) Lane, the current library director taking over last fall, is also young with plenty of ideas and will point the library into the future.
As a matter of fact, pretty much all of the staff at the Pittston Memorial Library are younger and to me that equals an energetic group of people with a fresh look on library life.
Grossman said $40,000 is a number that can grow with the community’s help along with corporate donors. The library and grounds are substantial and it does take a lot of money to run such a facility. I can see where Bresnahan is coming from — $40,000 just might be on the light side.
The Greater Pittston area is unique and when it comes to supporting agencies like the Pittston Memorial Library, our local residents and businesses respond.
I will venture to guess that total will be exceeded — by how much, I don’t know, but donations will go over $40,000.
Good luck to the library and all involved in the 2022 Sustainability Campaign.
You can read more about the special meeting in today’s edition of the Sunday Dispatch.
This week, the loss of comedian Bob Saget and the end of the week with the deaths of comedian Louie Anderson and rock legend Meat Loaf really bummed me out.
For me, Saget wasn’t as well known as a stand up comedian but more like one of America’s favor dads as the star of Full House (1987-1995) and its sequel Fuller House (2016-2020).
Saget was to my children’s generation TV dad as Fred MacMurray with My Three Sons (1960-1972) or Guy Williams on Lost in Space (1965-1968) was to mine.
Meat Loaf’s music was a big part of the fabric of my life when he put out his Bat Out of Hell (1977) album with gigantic hits like Paradise by the Dashboard Light and title track, Bat Out of Hell.
That album has been one of the best selling albums of all time and another favorite artist of mine, Todd Rundgren, produced it. Bat Out of Hell sold an estimated 43 million copies worldwide and 15 million in the U.S.
I took my late uncle John to see Meat Loaf at Montage Mountain Pavilion many years ago and I wasn’t sure how he was going to receive the show, but he really enjoyed it.
Meat Loaf put out 11 more albums, with his last one released in 2016. He never achieved the huge success of Bat Out of Hell, but still had a stellar career for many decades.
He was a great showman with a big voice and was entertaining to all ages.
All three artists will be missed spanning many generations.
Quote of the week
“Not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do is the secret to happiness.” – J. M. Barrie
Thought of the week
“You’re going to go through tough times – that’s life. But I say, ‘Nothing happens to you, it happens for you.’ See the positive in negative events.” – Joel Osteen
Bumper sticker
“Kindness always comes back.” – K. Tolnoe
