JCL Foundation Annual Report 2019 

The Jefferson County Library Foundation provided support for several projects during 2019.  The Foundation received grants from the Walmart Foundation totaling $3,000 to add new tech toys to the Early Childhood STEM Learning Collections at the Arnold, Windsor and Northwest Branch Libraries. Thanks to Foundation Board member Shannon Roscow for coordinating support from the store managers at the Arnold, Gravois Bluffs and High Ridge Walmarts for these grants. 

Foundation Board members Renee Reuter also sponsored a successful Enterprise Foundation grant application for $5,000 to help underwrite the cost of a Virtual Reality pilot project at the Arnold Branch. 

In October 2019 the library and Jefferson College co-hosted our first major Author event when Caroline Fraser, author of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize winning biography Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder visited Jefferson County. Foundation Board member Larry Schroth facilitated a $2,000 grant from Ameren to underwrite part of the costs of Fraser’s visit.  

At the December Foundation Board meeting the Board voted to move the first portion of the Endowment Fund to the YouthBridge Community Foundation to be invested through YouthBridge. Board President Patti Christen facilitated discussions with YouthBridge over about eighteen months as the Board arrived at its decision to invest with YouthBridge.

Patti Christen also engaged the Board in a discussion of fundraising and planned giving strategies to grow the Endowment Fund and the Foundation’s ability to support the Library over the long term.  At the December meeting the Board agreed to explore the possibility of holding a Halloween Concert fundraising event in conjunction with the Library at Rickman Auditorium in Arnold on October 24, 2020.

At the Annual Meeting in March, the Board accepted the resignation of Linda Schroeder. Also in March, founding member and long-time treasurer of the Foundation Eric Knoll announced his retirement from the Foundation Board. The Board members voted unanimously to bestow Emeritus membership on Eric Knoll in recognition of his contributions to the Foundation and support of the Library.

Tom Dixon, Renee Reuter, Shannon Roscow and Larry Shroth were all unanimously re-elected to three year terms on the Foundation Board, March 2019 – March 2022.

Officers were elected for 2019:

President: Patti Christen; Vice President: Tom Dixon; Treasurer: Larry Schroth; Secretary: Renee Reuter. Debby Byron was designated Recording Secretary for 2019. 

The Board approved the transfer of $2,000 from the Foundation General Fund to the Foundation Endowment Fund.  The Board also approved the transfer of $2,000 from the General Fund to the Jefferson County Library to provide stipends for employees participating in continuing education and professional meetings during 2019. 

2019 Foundation Board: Patti Christen, Tom Dixon, Elaine Gannon, Patti B. Redel, Renee Reuter, Shannon Roscow, Larry J. Shroth. Eight vacancies remain on the Board. For information, or to make a tax-deductible donation, contact JCL director Pam Klipsch at pklipsch@jeffcolib.org or (636) 677-8689.