Long Beach Leaders are Readers: City of Long Beach 2024 Youth Poet Laureate, Helena Donato-Sapp
Top leaders of the world have the exceptional simple habit of reading. Whether for enjoyment or enrichment, reading stimulates the mind and fuels creativity. Long Beach Leaders are Readers features leaders in our community as they share their recommended reads.
In July, we spotlight Helena Donato-Sapp, the City of Long Beach’s 2024 Youth Poet Laureate. Helena is a published author, exhibited artist, and a passionate disability justice activist. Her book recommendation, Figure It Out, Henri Weldon, tells the story of a young Black girl who loves poetry and has dyscalculia. Helena, who also has dyscalculia, shares this book to highlight Disability Awareness Month, emphasizing the importance of diverse literature in reflecting our experiences and fostering understanding. Discover how this young adult novel beautifully mirrors her journey and advocacy.
Figure It Out, Henri Weldon
by Tanita S. Davis
Meet Helena Donato-Sapp:
What made you choose Figure It Out, Henri Weldon as your book recommendation?
My book recommendation is Figure It Out, Henri Weldon and it is about a young Black girl who loves poetry and has a learning disability called dyscalculia, which is a math disorder. This book is important for me to share because July is Disability Awareness Month, I am a Disability Justice activist, I am a poet, and I have dyscalculia also. Not only are diverse books important because they help so many of us who were erased from literature for centuries, but they provide a rich window into the lives of others that many might not be able to witness otherwise. As the 2024-2025 Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate, I wanted a young adult novel that highlighted poetry, of course, but also one that informed readers about learning disabilities and the struggles those of us that have them face daily. I encourage everyone to go to your local library and find a book that beautifully mirrors you as well. It makes me, for one, feel less alone. Let’s all lift up Disability Pride!
What do you hope other readers get from reading your book recommendation?
I believe that kids can tackle tough topics and this book shows a story where this happened quite beautifully. I am so impacted by this book, that I want to buy a copy of it for every math teacher I have going forward – and for any peer who becomes a good friend – so that they can have a deeper understanding of what it means to have dyscalculia.
How relevant or relatable are the themes or messages of the book to your own life, or to society today?
Good literature always has an abundance of universal themes and Figure It Out, Henri Weldon is no exception. I liked the themes of friendship, taking risks, and boldness.
What did you learn from the book or what did it teach you about yourself or others?
I was affirmed by Henri writing poetry, writing in journals and on scrap paper because I have that done that all my life too. But when I saw that she was writing about math and to math…that inspired me to want to think more deeply about how I communicate about my math disorder to others. It inspired me, actually to write a poem on dyscalculia where I used some numbers for letters to make it a bit more difficult for readers so that they might get a sense of how hard it is to decipher numbers for those of us with dyscalculia. And guess what? I read that poem at the Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate Finals and I think it won me the Poet Laureate position!
Were there any stand-out scenes or particular passages from your recommended book that have impacted your life?
I read a lot of books on disability in my partnership with the National Education Association (NEA) and my role as a social media influencer for their organization, particularly their Disability Awareness Booklist and their Read Across America initiative. But I was shocked to find a book that was about a teenage Black girl who loves poetry and has one of the same learning disabilities that I have – dyscalculia. It’s hard not to feel all alone when you have a disability that rarely comes up and this book really touched my life because the stories of Henri struggling with math are the exact same things that have happened to me in my schooling.
How did your recommended book make you think or feel about a certain topic or issue?
Like I said, since it mirrored me so much, it made me feel less alone. It also emboldens me because if Henri can push forward and be bold and brave, then I feel that I can too!
Did your recommended book challenge or change your perspective or opinion on something?
It reaffirmed my belief that it is important for diverse authors to write diverse books about diverse kids who have diverse intersectional identities! The more diverse, the better!
How old were you when you got your first library card?
I was 15 years old.
Has a book ever changed your life?
It was really a genre that changed my life more than a book. I was a struggling reader because of my four learning disabilities and the books that saved me were graphic novels! Oh! I ate them up! They were the first books that I “read” because I could cue from the pictures and I read hundreds of graphic novels throughout my childhood. They boosted my confidence and graphic novels the books that are most responsible for me being an avid reader today.
Do you prefer paperbacks or e-books?
I just got a Kindle for my birthday from my Grandma and I am loving it! But I will always be in love with paperbacks. The touch of them, the smell of them, running my fingers over the lines on the pages, being able to take pencils and highlighters and annotate them…that is heaven to me!
Did someone read to you when you were a child?
Oh yes! My two dads are avid readers and I have pictures of them holding me in their arms and reading to me since the first day I got home from the hospital. My Grandma is the most hungry reader I know and she reads day and night. She even gets my booklist from school and reads every title alongside me!
What are your favorite genres to read?
This is an easy answer – science fiction and horror! Three cheers for Stephen King!
Where is your favorite place to read? Outside? Local coffee shop? On vacation?
On our couch, in a chair, and laying in bed at night with my night light putting a warm glow on the pages.
Is there an author you’d like to meet? Can you share their name or work?
I would want to meet Stephen King! Plus, I also really like his politics. Plus-plus, I love how he thinks about writing too.
What’s the last book you read?
The last book I read for school was The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. I loved it and nearly all of our books in freshman year were about immigration and refugees. But yesterday was my first day of summer and so I started reading The Hunger Games again.
What book will you read next?
The next on my list is a book is titled Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens edited by Marieke Nijkamp. It is a great YA book featuring all disabled authors. The thing I love about it is that it has so many different genres in it – from realistic fiction to romance to fantasy to science fiction and horror. Science fiction and horror are my favorite genres so that is what caught my attention about this wonderful book.
If you wrote a memoir, what would the title be?
The Evil Teacher Who Said “You can’t”
Why do you think reading is important?
I was bullied a lot in K-8 and didn’t have a lot of friends. Books were my friends. I always had a book on me because if I was going to be alone at lunch or on the playground I could find safety in the pages of books. To this day, I never leave home without a book in my hand. I have spent my entire childhood reading and reading and reading and it is informative and fun! Books are friends and there are lots of friends at your local library waiting to meet you!
Helena Donato-Sapp, 2024 Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate
Helena Donato-Sapp is the City of Long Beach’s 2024 Youth Poet Laureate, a published author, exhibited artist, working poet and sought-after keynote speaker who has been featured on the Disney Channel and in Discovery Education. Helena Donato-Sapp has also been appointed to the Long Beach Commission for Women and Girls. Her awards include the Global Youth Award for Educational Leadership, the 2023-24 Heumann-Armstrong Award and the “Yes, I Can Academic Award,” among others.
Find Figure It Out, Henri Weldon at your local library branch by clicking here!
Long Beach Leaders are Readers: Doug Haubert, Long Beach City Prosecutor, Shares His Literary Journey
Top leaders of the world have the exceptional simple habit of reading. Whether for enjoyment or enrichment, reading stimulates the mind and fuels creativity. Long Beach Leaders are Readers features leaders in our community as they share their recommended reads.
In June, we spotlight Doug Haubert, the Long Beach City Prosecutor known for his innovative gang prevention strategies and advocacy for alternative sentencing programs. As a father, Doug found a renewed love for reading through bedtime stories with his son. He shares his profound connection with literature, specifically The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Discover how this classic novel rekindled his love for reading, offering timeless insights into human resilience, friendship, and the simple joys of life.
The Old Man and The Sea
by Ernest Hemingway
Meet Doug Haubert:
What made you choose The Old Man and the Sea as your book recommendation?
The Old Man and the Sea was the first book I read as an adult when I decided to return to reading. My mother-in-law, Kathy, gave my son Alice in Wonderland, the original version. He was too young to read it himself, so I read it to him every night and realized this is a story for grownups. The themes and constant play on words were definitely for adult readers. I started to enjoy our bedtime ritual as much as my son, wondering if I was missing out – maybe the classics we were told to read (but never wanted to) in our younger years were actually meant for us as adults.
After that experience, starting with The Old Man and Sea, I started binge reading the classics. They are considered great for a reason, Ernest Hemingway, Willa Cather, John Steinbeck, Jack London, Victor Hugo, and others, they don’t just write great stories, they capture the human condition in a way that is timeless.
The Old Man and the Sea is a tender, but sad story about a very old, very poor fisherman, Santiago, who goes through a long dry spell where he cannot catch a fish for months. Then he hooks the fish of a lifetime, a giant Marlin, and most of the book is the struggle between Santiago and the Marlin.
Santiago is the underdog, and you cannot help but cheer for him. You want him to break his dry spell with a record catch.
I also loved the book because of the relationship between Santiago and a boy, Manolin, who clearly loves and respects Santiago. They talk about baseball and the way I used to talk to my grandfather about baseball.
I had just finished The Old Man and the Sea when Kathy passed away unexpectedly. She was only 59. I took my son to the Belmont Pier and shared the news with him. We took a place on a bench and cried for a while, then we just sat, looking out at the deep, dark ocean.
What do you hope other readers get from reading your book recommendation?
I intentionally picked a book that most people have heard of, but have never read or perhaps have not read recently. One might have read it in high school, or were supposed to read it (hey, there’s a reason for CliffNotes).
As I mentioned, after reading Alice in Wonderland, I read The Old Man and the Sea, then I started binging on books considered classics. I was in my late 30’s and had not read for fun in many, many years, but now I was returning to the library each week until I had read virtually everything on TIME Magazine’s “All TIME 100 Novels.”
The Old Man and the Sea is a short, easy read. I hope people read it again, as an adult. If people like it, maybe they will start to re-read other classics, like The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, or Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather. They are short, sweet stories that a teenager might skim through just enough to pass a literature class, but an older reader might find deeper meaning.
I would be curious if anyone discovers what I discovered. That most of the books we consider old classics are more enjoyable and more profound if we read them as adults, and are actually pretty relevant to our lives still.
How relevant or relatable are the themes or messages of the book to your own life, or to society today?
In modern times it seems that status, money, fame, influence, power, are the things by which we judge people and expect to be judged by others. Just think of what you see on social media. Our society has never had more material wealth, and yet been less happy.
Santiago may be poor, but he has friendship in Manolin. The old fisherman is not fishing for money. He is not trying to catch a great fish for fame or glory. He is fishing because that is what he is, a fisherman. He, along with the boy, Manolin, are very poor, but there is no mention of having to catch fish to survive. In fact, when the story begins Santiago has just had 84 days without a catch. He feels 85 is a lucky number so he goes out again.
The story is about struggling and persevering, not giving up, not complaining about bad things that happen to us. The story is also about friendship. The book is timeless and there are life lessons that should keep our minds off material things so we can focus on what really matters.
Were there any stand-out scenes or particular passages from your recommended book that have impacted your life?
There are two things that I will always remember about this book. First, it is the friendship between Santiago, the very old fisherman, and Manolin, the apprentice. Manolin wants to fish with Santiago, but his parents won’t let him because Santiago is “unlucky.”
Manolin takes care of the old fisherman man and brings food to his room. They talk about the Yankees and Joe DiMaggio. “I would like to take the great DiMaggio fishing,” the old many said. “They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was as poor as we are and would understand.”
Even if you do not recognize names like Joe DiMaggio, Dick Sisler, John McGraw and Leo Durocher, you will be touched by the relationship between Manolin and the old man.
The second part I will never forget is when Santiago is heading back to shore with the Marlin on the line. Due to its size, the Marlin can’t be brought into the boat, and this eventually attracts the attention of sharks. I don’t want to give away too much, but you can only imagine that Santiago had enough to overcome, and now he has to fight off sharks coming after his prize fish.
Hemingway is known for his dialogue, but since most of the book is about the struggle between Hemingway and the Marlin, Santiago either talking to himself, or talking to fish and birds around his boat. Here’s one example: “Fish,” he said, “I love and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends.”
How did your recommended book make you think or feel about a certain topic or issue?
No matter how bad things get in my life, I still have it easier than the old fisherman, Santiago. Sometimes we forget how good we have it.
How old were you when you got your first library card?
Probably 9 years old
Has a book ever changed your life?
Yes, but too many to list and all for different reasons. The late-in-life binging that started in my late 30’s was a period of personal growth for me. I would not have run for City Prosecutor if that experience never happened.
Do you prefer paperbacks or e-books?
I don’t own an e-reader. Maybe someday I will get on that bandwagon because it’s more practical. I still prefer books, whether paperback or hardcover. I admit I also prefer newspaper to online, but I seem to get all my news online these days.
Is there an author you’d like to meet? Can you share their name or work?
John Grisham. His life story is fascinating to me. Everyone knows his legal thrillers, but there’s one called Playing for Pizza that is totally different.
Did someone read to you when you were a child?
I do not recall being read to as a child, but I liked books when I was a kid. I was a high energy child, always playing sports, but on Saturdays our local library had programming for kids, so I would get dropped off at the library with my brother. I was about 9 or 10 years old.
Really, though, I stopped reading when I started to be given reading assignments. If I had to read, it wasn’t as much fun. I read a lot in college and law school, but it wasn’t for pleasure. In fact, many years had passed before I started to read for fun again, in my late 30’s.
What are your favorite genres to read?
Fiction.
Where is your favorite place to read? Outside? Local coffee shop? On vacation?
I love to read on vacation, in fact, when I am going to travel somewhere I will usually find a novel set in that location. For example, I read The Descendants right before I went to Kauai.
What’s the last book you read?
I have been reading Malcom Gladwell recently. I read Outliers, then Blink, now I am finishing The Tipping Point. This is unusual for me because I love fiction, especially fiction with some history, legal and political accuracy.
What book will you read next?
I still need to read Sparring Partners, by John Grisham, so that will probably be next. But I’m always looking for recommendations!
If you wrote a memoir, what would the title be?
City Prosecutor – because the most interesting part of my life (up to this point) has happened during my time as the City Prosecutor.
Why do you think reading is important?
It’s been said that all learning is self-taught. The written word is a form of art that can take us to different time periods and places in the world, and beyond our world. The act of translating letters into words, and words into thoughts, is unique, and there are parts of the brain that are stimulated only by reading.
Doug Haubert, Long Beach City Prosecutor
Doug Haubert is a skilled attorney with 24 years of experience as a civil and criminal prosecutor. He was elected Long Beach City Prosecutor in 2010, and re-elected in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
As City Prosecutor, he started Long Beach’s Gang Prevention Strategy, a three-part approach to reducing gang activity through intervention, rehabilitation, and enforcement of gang court orders. He is also recognized as a national leader in court diversion and alternative sentencing programs for low-level, first-time offenders. One of his programs, the Long Beach Community Service Worker (CSW) program, was named “Best Neighborhood Program” in America by nonprofit organization Neighborhoods, USA.
City Prosecutor Haubert received his B.A. in Political Science from U.C. Santa Barbara, and his Juris Doctorate With Distinction from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. He has served on many local boards and commissions, including the California State Bar Public Law Executive Committee, the Long Beach Public Library Foundation, and Goodwill Industries of Southern Los Angeles Board of Directors, WomenShelter of Long Beach, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) of Southern California. He is currently the President of the Los Angeles County Prosecutors Association.
Learn more on the City Prosecutor website.
Find “The Old Man and the Sea” at your local library branch by clicking here!
President Lincoln Memorial Returns to Greet Library Visitors
Since the memorial was unveiled in 1915, the statue of President Abraham Lincoln has stood in front of the Main Library. As the Main Library has evolved through the years, the statue has kept its rightful location to welcome library visitors. You can visit Mr. Lincoln at the newly reopened Lincoln Park in front of the Billie Jean King Main Library.
The photos below are from the Long Beach Public Library digital archives which you can explore at https://lbpl.contentdm.oclc.org.
Remembering Bob Kilpatrick
By Margaret Durnin, Long Beach Public Library Foundation Founding Board Member
How many of us know someone who is 95 years old and still rides a bike to pick up groceries?
How many of us keep three or more books going at the same time?
And, how many of us will have colleagues and friends remember us as someone with an acute mind; as a person who was always calm and steady; one who never shouted; and someone who always made colleagues and friends feel extra special?
Bob Kilpatrick did all of that and more. In fact, Bob was one of the four people who originally founded the Long Beach Public Library Foundation 25 years ago.
We lost him late last November.
Bob was born in 1921 and would have been 100 years old this year. He was a voracious reader to the end of his life, an avid library user who embraced the idea of a library foundation as a wonderful vehicle that could help children learn to read and succeed in school.
Raised in Stillwater, Minnesota, it was the end of WWI and the Spanish Flu Epidemic, and the start of the Roaring Twenties. Women had just received the vote. Bob’s father was an accountant and his mother a homemaker. Like so many, his family suffered terrible losses when the Great Depression hit although Bob’s high academic ability enabled him to get a college scholarship at St. Thomas University. He enlisted in the Marine Corps when the United States entered WWII, and trained Navy pilots to pilot bi-planes. Afterwards, Bob used the GI Bill to attend law school at the University of Chicago. One of his classmates was George Wise who invited him to come west to California and establish a law practice with him in Long Beach. Bob traveled west but was called back into military service for the Korean War. He spent his war years litigating matters at El Toro Marine Base in California. After the war, he practiced law with George for almost 40 years, a practice that included Sterling Clayton, and later, Phil Madden, Monte Cole, and Bob Johnson. Bob Kilpatrick retired in 1989.
Those of us eager to begin a Library Foundation in 1996 were so lucky to have Bob’s expertise! He drafted our documents and then filed them in Sacramento and Washington D.C. Bob helped us negotiate our early days with intelligence and a sense of humor. Cordelia Howard, past Director of Library Services, recalls the importance of Bob Kilpatrick’s calm steadiness.
Just as Bob would study the best and safest route for his bike rides, Bob helped us find the best route to establish the Long Beach Public Library Foundation twenty-five years ago. I’m sorry he won’t be here to help celebrate with us, and to be celebrated!
Happy 125th Birthday, Long Beach Public Library!
2021 marks two important anniversaries — the Long Beach Public Library Foundation’s 25th and the Long Beach Public Library’s 125th year of service to the Long Beach community.
On January 1, 1896, the Long Beach Library Association with books donated by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union opened the City’s first library in a small structure on Ocean Boulevard. Today, we celebrate those early supporters of literacy who raised funds and advocated to make the Library possible. The Library has grown into a premier center of learning with 12 locations and an extensive collection of online resources that hundreds of thousands of families, students, job seekers, veterans, those with disabilities, and older individuals depend upon. It continues to transform lives with the support of donations to the Library Foundation.
Thank you for helping us continue a legacy of promoting free educational resources for all members of the community!
Enjoy the photos below of the downtown library through the years. The Library manages a digitized collection of directories, high school yearbooks, and photographs from the City’s history which can be enjoyed at any time — no library card required. Check it out at https://lbpl.contentdm.oclc.org/digital.
A Look Back at the Downtown Library Through the Years
Learning and Teaching at the Library – Sanghak Kan’s Story
Many of our Library Foundation donors and the Library’s volunteers provide support because a public library made a difference in their lives and they want to help others who depend on library programs. Sanghak Kan and his family are prime examples of those who have had their lives transformed by the Library and then support the Library in making a difference in the lives of others.
Sanghak Kan and his wife, Sophea Chim, immigrated to the United States in 2017 with their children after 12 years of applications. They quickly settled in Long Beach’s Cambodia Town and it wasn’t long before they visited the Mark Twain Library. Senior Librarian Jennifer Songster introduced them to resources to connect with their new community and services for their children. Their eldest daughter received homework help from the Family Learning Center and developed her reading skills through the Summer Reading program. Both of these programs are supported by the Library Foundation.
Sanghak wrote a letter of thanks to Mark Twain Library staff last year:
Congratulations to my beloved daughter who is a first-grader in the Long Beach Unified School District. She received the Character Award, “I will always be a scholar,” last month!
As a parent I am so excited about her first ever achievement in first grade. I recognize that this good result came from many factors, and one among those is the Summer Reading Program. Heartfelt thanks to the City of Long Beach and especially the Mark Twain Library for making the Summer Reading Program happen smoothly and fruitfully. This program builds a habit and love of reading for children and gets them involved with creative, innovative and joyous activities.
Hand in hand – families, schools, and libraries – we can shape our young generations for a bright and prosperous future.
Sanghak and Sophea have set out to support the Library in doing just that.
In less than two years they have become two of the Library’s most dedicated volunteers. Sanghak volunteers every weekend to teach beginning Khmer language classes at the Mark Twain Library. Last month, he started an English language class for Khmer speakers.
Sophea assists with the classes and she and Sanghak also lead the Library’s new Khmer-English Storytime every Saturday. Their daughter has followed her parent’s example and volunteers as a guest reader at the storytime events.
In addition to his volunteer work, Sanghak began working as a contractor for the Library earlier this year to complete the Khmer Cataloging Project which will make books in the collection searchable in Khmer script in the Library’s online catalog. The Long Beach Public Library has the largest collection of Khmer materials of any public library in the country. The collection has recently expanded thanks to a book buying trip to Cambodia that the Library Foundation helped fund in December 2018.
Sanghak is truly making an impact in our Long Beach community and we hope others follow in his example to help the Library transform even more lives.
Main Library Turns the Page
In 1977, the current Main Library opened to the public in the Long Beach Civic Center. As the central hub of the Long Beach Public Library system, the Main Library houses much of the Library’s collection of over 800,000 items, supports the needs of all of the branch libraries in Long Beach, serves as the piloting location for new innovative programs, and houses most of the Library’s advanced technology resources. After 42 years of serving the city, the Main Library will close its doors for good on January 18, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. to prepare for the opening of the new Main Library later this year.
In 2017, the Long Beach Public Library received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for libraries, thanks in great part to the resources and services offered at the Main Library. The new Main Library will build off of this innovative and enriching environment with an upgraded makerspace Studio, 3D printing lab, Family Learning Center, Children’s Library, Teen Library, Veterans Resource Center, Center for Adaptive Technology, and many more resources for all library patrons to enjoy. Learn more about supporting these educational opportunities at LBPLfoundation.org/newmain.
While we will miss the current Main Library, we are excited for the next chapter and the amazing memories we will create in the new Main Library.
Be sure to visit the Main Library before it closes. View the Library’s hours at lbpl.org/locations/library_hours.asp.
Photos from the Long Beach Public Library:
The Main Library shortly after the building was completed in 1977.
The Main Library auditorium has held many events including weekly film screenings.
In 2015, the Main Library became the first public library in California to carry a Zine collection highlighting the voices of local writers and artists.
In 2012, with support from the Library Foundation, the Main Library opened the Studio, a makerspace learning lab where patrons of all ages can learn graphic design, 3D printing, robotics, coding, photography, and more.
A Studio Guide holds a 3D printed prosthetic hand printed and programmed in the Main Library Studio.
The Miller Special Collections Room was made possible thanks to a generous gift in 1974 from Loraine Miller Collins in memory of her late husband, Earl Burns Miller. The room is modeled after a room in the Miller home and contains rare texts dating back to the 15th century, Chinese and Japanese art and ceramics, and American and European art and photographs. The Miller Special Collections Room has hosted several author and poetry readings through the years highlighting local writers and poets.
2017 Halloween parade at the Main Library.
A 2018 Cuentos y Cantos bilingual storytime event in the Main Library Storytime Theater.
On June 9, 2018, the Main Library opened the Veterans Resource Center with support from the California State Library’s Veterans Connect @ The Library project.
The new Main Library is currently being built in the Long Beach Civic Center and is projected to open in the summer of 2019.
Advocating for Literacy and Libraries
From left to right: Margaret Farwell Smith, Library Foundation VP of Public Affairs; Colleen Bentley, Library Foundation Public Affairs Committee member; Mayor Robert Garcia; and Sharon Weissman, Senior Advisor to Mayor Garcia and Library Foundation Board member at the 2016 Grape Expectations fundraiser.
Margaret Farwell Smith inherited her love of reading from her mother. As a physician, her mother led a busy life, but she enjoyed reading under the shade of a tree in her spare time. Growing up, Margaret loved books in school and college, but it wasn’t until she retired from her career in healthcare that she became a strong advocate for literacy and libraries.
In 2009, as Margaret Smith was looking to be more involved in her community, she attended a seminar on nonprofits in Long Beach. After the seminar, then Library Foundation Board members Tom Reep and Darrell Cannon approached her in the parking lot and asked her to join the Library Foundation Board of Directors.
It was a perfect fit. Margaret was elected Board President for 2012 and started to flesh out the advocacy function of the Library Foundation. Although her career was in healthcare administration, she could see there was a need to organize and advocate for the Library to prevent further budget cuts and less access to library services.
Proper advocacy requires strategy and guidelines. It’s important for the Library Foundation’s Board of Directors and staff to stick to a singular message that resonates with city officials and the public. The Library Foundation’s main advocacy message emphasizes the value of the library system to the City. The educational and technological resources provided are available to all residents with a library card. For many residents who cannot afford services like preschool or a home internet connection, the Library’s resources are crucial and provide paths out of poverty.
Much of Margaret’s work as a Board member has focused on the new Civic Center. When the City was planning the new development, an idea was proposed to eliminate Main Library from the new Civic Center. Margaret and the Board rallied the community’s support and attended several City Council meetings to advocate against this. Their efforts were successful and a beautifully designed and modern new Main Library will open in 2019.
Margaret was elected as the Library Foundation’s first Vice President of Public Affairs for 2014 and has led advocacy and public relations projects ever since.
One of Margaret’s favorite memories from her time on the Library Foundation Board was getting to sign the first steel beam of the new Main Library at a special ceremony on September 19, 2017. She knew then that had it not been for vocal supporters of libraries, this moment would not have happened.
Margaret’s focus as a Board member has also been on philanthropy. As a member of the Board of Trustees for the Earl B. and Loraine H. Miller Foundation, she has helped maintain a partnership between the Library Foundation and the Miller Foundation to host the city’s annual Dictionary Days program. Since the program’s inception in 2003, more than 120,000 new dictionary/thesaurus have been gifted to Long Beach 3rd graders. For many of these students, this is the first book they are given. The program includes annual events at several libraries to teach children how to use their new dictionaries through fun games and activities. This is all possible thanks to the shared focus of supporting youth literacy of the two organizations that Margaret helps lead.
During her time with the Library Foundation, Margaret has realized the importance of nonprofit organizations. So much is accomplished thanks to those who donate their resources and time to causes that matter.
Margaret Farwell Smith passing out beaded necklaces at a 2018 Dictionary Days celebration at Los Altos Library.
Supporting Education to Transform a Community
Over 5,000 people attended the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library grand opening ceremony on September 10, 2016. It was an exciting day for the community of North Long Beach which went from having a small neighborhood library to having the largest library branch in the city with more resources and newer technology than any other Long Beach library branch.
This was an especially proud day for Rick Alsagoff who co-chaired the Library Foundation’s fundraising campaign which raised over $1 million for programs at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library. Together with his co-chair, friend and neighbor, Mary Hancock-Hinds, Rick raised awareness and funds for the new library and helped rally community support for this much-needed resource.
It was Mary who first invited Rick to join the Library Foundation Board of Directors in 2009. Rick first became involved by donating books to the Library. Learning about the Family Learning Center program was what ultimately inspired him to join the Board. The Library Foundation funds staffing and resources for the Family Learning Center program. The program serves children, job seekers, older people, and families with one-on-one support for homework, research projects and computer use.
“I feel education is a way out of poverty and a way to change your whole life,” said Rick while discussing what inspired him to join the Library Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Rick was born in Singapore and graduated from the National University of Singapore with a degree in Business Administration. Rick spent his early years in merchant banking in Singapore, and lived in Taipei, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Jakarta. He began travelling to Long Beach in the 1970s because his nephews and mother lived here. While it was not his original plan to become an American citizen, he finally moved to Long Beach in 1990 to take care of his mother.
Getting a Long Beach Public Library card was one of his first acts when he moved here. He had one of the older yellow library cards before the system was digitized.
As a financial services professional for New York Life, he has helped arrange for significant contributions from the New York Life Foundation and the Lloyd & Lauretta Dyer Family Foundation to support the Library Foundation and Family Learning Center program.
Rick considers fundraising the life blood of the Library Foundation and is proud to have made a difference and supported programs that have helped transform the Long Beach community.
Rick Alsagoff with Library Foundation Executive Director Kate Azar at the grand opening of the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library.
From Visiting the Library to Supporting Family Learning Centers
Lance Adams was born and raised in Long Beach. Los Altos Neighborhood Library and El Dorado Neighborhood Library were his closest libraries where he would seek out books about sports history and Family Circus comics as a child. Today, Lance helps create educational opportunities for children attending the Long Beach Public Library.
When Lance joined the Long Beach Public Library Foundation Board of Directors in 2008, he immediately took up the role of treasurer previously occupied by one of his partners at Windes, an accounting firm which has been serving Southern California since 1926.
During that year, the Library Foundation’s fundraising campaign for the Mark Twain Neighborhood Library was just ending and Lance was impressed with the new library’s modernity and popularity. The Library Foundation raised close to $1 million in donations for programs at the Mark Twain Library. Those funds are still making an impact at the Library’s Family Learning Center.
As a CPA he has helped the Library Foundation manage endowments, prepare for audits and establish governance policies. Setting up important procedures has allowed the Library Foundation to grow through the years and fund learning opportunities for hundreds of thousands of patrons every year.
Lance was elected president of the Board of Directors for 2015. During this time, he brought on Kate Azar as executive director who currently leads the Library Foundation. For Lance, it has been exciting to see the Foundation evolve and accomplish so much in the last couple of years with his guidance.
As a father living with his family in Long Beach, Lance takes his kids to the Bay Shore Library just like he attended the library in his youth. There they participated in the Library Foundation supported Summer Reading program.
“It’s exciting to see the City building a new library and to think about the impact it will have on future generations. Libraries are great public spaces which engage and educate our community,” said Lance.