By Norma Dittman Fulda Memorial Library has recently re-established a Friends of the Library group. Beth Cuperus, director of the library, stated, “A Friends of the Library group is a great asset, both for the support that the people involved give the library, including time, energy and monetary support, and for the 501(c)(3) tax exempt status that allows the library to be eligible for more grant opportunities.”
Fulda City Council member, Jasmine Bray, had reviewed the library budget and noticed a deficit. She asked Cuperus about the library’s abilities to apply for grants. “Beth explained that the library is not a non-profit, and that is why there had been a Friends group in past years. Unfortunately, the group had become inactive and was dissolved.”
The process of re-establishing a Friends group began with the creating a board of directors, Bray said. “Then Beth and I worked on submitting the 501(c)(3) application to the Internal Revenue Service. Our next step was to submit paperwork to the Minnesota Secretary of State to get the Friends group reinstated as a non-profit corporation. This process involved working with Fulda Memorial Library board members Alli Getting and Tiff Bose to complete the paperwork.”
“In October, we will start accepting members who will be able to join the Friends group for a nominal fee - either individually or as a family,” Cuperus said. “We have a lot of possible goals for the future: applying for grants, holding events with other community organizations, and partnering with the library to help with their needs of time, energy, and monetary donations.”
“This year will be a focus on building our Friend’s of the Fulda Memorial Library membership,” Bray said. “The board is currently working on putting together events with other community groups to build awareness. Some of the upoming events will include coloring contests, a trivia night, a puzzle contest, and more.”
Contact persons for the new Friends of the Library group are Cuperus and Bray. Questions can be answered by calling the Fulda Memorial Library at 507425-3277.
