FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2024
CONTACT INFO. :
Office of the Mayor
Matthew Paddock
Communications Manager
(401) 435-7500 Ext 11013
mpaddock@eastprovidenceri.gov
East Providence Public Library receives $205K in funding
EAST PROVIDENCE, RI - The City of East Providence Public Library has received a $185,000 grant award from The Champlin Foundation, and $20,000 from book sales hosted by the Friends of the East Providence Public Library group. The Champlin Foundation is one of the oldest philanthropic nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. The Friends group, founded in the 1980s, is a member supported, nonprofit organization that advocates for and contributes to the services provided by the library.
The funding is to support interior improvements at Weaver Library, including new service desks and seating for patrons. Library staff have identified and requested modifications to the existing service desks to enhance their ability to offer timely and welcoming customer service and allow for more interdepartmental collaboration in providing library services.
“We are so thankful for the generosity shown by the Champlin Foundation and the Friends of the East Providence Public Library, both organizations which have always been so responsive to the capital needs of so many communities including ours,” Mayor Bob DaSilva said. “These funds will go a long way towards helping the Weaver Library enhance its abilities to bring the best possible services to the people of our city.”
“On behalf of the Friends of the East Providence Public Library, we were happy to contribute to the funding for the interior upgrades through the proceeds of our book sales,” Friends of the East Providence Public Library President, Cheryl Muth said.
“The interior improvement project is the culmination of more than a year's worth of work by a
library staff team who are passionate about transforming the library to improve our ability to
best serve the community,” East Providence Library Director Meredith Bonds-Harmon said. “This project will provide improvements needed for the Library to fulfill its mission of being a welcoming space to facilitate self-education and promote lifelong learning.”
Since 1932, a total of 1,210 individual organizations have received funding from The Champlin Foundation. Each year their grants provide funding for a diverse range of needs and capital projects with the goal always being to improve the lives of Rhode Islanders.
Vendors interested in bidding on our Design, Purchase, and Installation of Library Furnishings RFP can find all the details at https://eastprovidenceri.gov/rfp.
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