When Kara Hunt started her book club, Rosé and Prosé, in January of 2017 the goal was simple: bring together a group of women to share books and wine. Kara and about a dozen other women met every other month and did just that – and the group toasted their first year at Verse & Vino in November.

That’s where an idea was born.

Kara and another book club member, Caton Morris, serve on the Verse & Vino planning committee, and seeing the event through their friends’ eyes was enlightening. “The Library impacts our whole community, in so many ways. All the members of our book club are passionate about books and literacy, and we’re all Library users. Finding a way for our book club to support the Library was a natural fit.”

At the group’s next meeting, Kara suggested a yearly membership fee to demonstrate commitment as the group added new members. They unanimously voted that all the funds collected this year would be donated to the Library Foundation. “Many of us have children, and we know the importance of early literacy. We wanted to put this money toward something that would get kids excited about reading, and introduce them to all the resources at the Library.” The club decided to designate the money for refreshments, games, and other extra-special touches for the Summer Break kickoff party at the Hickory Grove location. Several of them were on hand for the event, to witness the joy of reading.

For Kara, the gift is about paying it forward. “When I was a child, my father inscribed a book for me. He wrote that ‘reading is a window to the world.’ We want every child to discover that magic.”

To learn more about making a group gift to the Library Foundation, contact Teleia White, Director of Individual Giving, at twhite@cmlibrary.org or 704-416-0803.