If you google the definition of community, it will highlight a special area in Furnas County Nebraska. The First Annual Arapahoe Gala was held on April 6th and on behalf of the Arapahoe Public Library Foundation and the Arapahoe Public Library Board-we thank you! The generosity and goodwill displayed in the weeks leading up to this event was simply amazing. From the businesses and individuals who donated an item to the auction or gave a monetary donation to assist our cause, to the people who walked into the Ella Missing building last week and asked, how can I help, we thank you.
The planning for this event began in August of 2018. It took the assistance of our friends in Elwood who graciously volunteered their time and know-how to help us prepare. Our library staff were asked to work extra hours and to do more than usual to reach out to donors and to do tasks out of the norm. It took some brave people to approach business owners from areas within a 70 plus mile radius of our hometown. It was an amazing thing to see so many business owners so graciously say, yes we’ll help!
Mitzi and Kevin, along with their team from Cunningham’s, provided a fantastic meal. Billie Taylor and her team made us chuckle with her signature drinks. Marcia Foley and the students from the Spanish Club were so helpful and proved that teenagers can be great kids. George Probasco provided the witty banter and kept the event running on time. Mark and Linda Hamel donated their time for the live auction and kept this organized so well for us.
This event took a small village to make it run smoothly. Nearly thirty other volunteers helped to make this event happen! People of all ages helped set-up the tables and chairs, the displays and prepare the building. People worked shifts to run each area and the raffles. The amazing desserts were all donated, and disappeared very quickly. We had a team of auction runners who worked tirelessly, and a flash mob! (For those who don’t know-a flash mob is an organized group of dancers who planned their routine for the event.) By noon on Sunday, the clean-up crew was finished.
This was a big step towards reaching our goal of renovating the Arapahoe Public Library. We still have a long way to go, but with our community behind us, we can do this. Thank you and remember, start practicing your dance moves for 2020!
