Meet the Board of Directors and Staff
The St. Helena Public Library has been an essential part of the City of St. Helena since the late 19th Century. In our 21st Century, municipal funding covers full-time personnel and other core operational costs. Friends & Foundation has provided grants that enhance the resources and services at the Library, including innovative community programs, digital media, books, and more!
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Members of the Board of Directors meet regularly to carry out governance duties and to collaboratively plan and pull off events, appeals, and advocacy that benefit the Library and its current and future patrons.
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Curious about Board service?
Drop a note to Friends@shplFoundation.org
to start a conversation!
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Laura Symon, President
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Welcome to the Friends & Foundation! Our board members are committed to supporting the St. Helena Public Library through our fundraising efforts. We invite you to learn more about how your donations provide essential services, programming, and much more for all ages. Thank you for supporting our library by donating today!
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"The only thing you absolutely have to know
is the location of the library." Albert Einstein
Tennessee Blix, Treasurer
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The library is about so much more than books. It serves as St. Helena's community center and reflects our culture of diversity, while uniting us in our quest for knowledge and understanding of ourselves.
Lisa Camp, Board Member
Paige Pohlers Meek, Board Member
Deanna M. Griffin, Executive Director
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From observation and experience, I know that everyone is welcome at the St. Helena Public Library, and it offers something to all.
It's an honor for me to collaborate with talented professionals and devoted volunteers to ensure the library's strength--all in service to its patrons!
Laura Levy Shatkin, Vice President
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A library provides a welcoming environment for community members of all ages to access free resources and materials to further learn and understand the world around them. I am honored to serve on the Friends & Foundation board to support the resources and services the St. Helena Public Library has to offer the community.
Patricia C. Cogan, Secretary
Jason Daniels, Board Member
Zia Wesley, Board Member
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I think it's important to offer the diversity of discoverable knowledge found in books to counteract the "instant gratification" of the internet and social media. Children, teens, and young adults need to develop their critical thinking and creative skills, as well as their ability to dream in order to create vibrant lives. Mature adults and seniors need to use their abilities in order to not lose them. Reading a book is very different from what we do on the internet.
Gabrielle Van Amburg, Administrative Associate
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The resources and information that libraries offer are essential to the heart of any community, and the St. Helena Public Library is no exception.
It is my pleasure to help facilitate the continued success and growth of the library through my work with Friends & Foundation.