“GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.”

—excerpted from GivingTuesday website

As the caboose of the weekend following Thanksgiving (starting with the infamous Black Friday, then Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday) Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to focus on and celebrate the places and people who strengthen and support our community. Obviously, here at the Library Foundation, we want to shine a spotlight on our libraries and library staff. They create educational, safe and inspiring spaces throughout the county. They are the reason why so many of us consider the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library our happy place.

We distributed “The Library is my Happy Place” stickers, children’s worksheets, and more to all the branches. The branches incorporated these and other elements as part of their displays and encouraged patrons to pick up a sticker and to fill out a worksheet.

Foundation board member Peter Keane and his family foundation Alpha & Omega Foundation matched every gift, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000 total. Our donors swiftly met this match… and kept going! Internally Library CEO Marcellus “MT” Turner pledged $2 for every Library staff person who gave.

Tuesday afternoon we created a stretch goal of 250 total donors. Our supporters rose to the challenge, and while we didn’t hit 250…

we did raise $27,991 with 237 donors for a record-breaking Giving Tuesday!

Thanks to Peter Keane and family, to our branch managers and Foundation champions, and to all who support the Library!