In May 2009, the Toronto Public Library Foundation was delighted to publicly announce the launch of re:vitalize - Toronto Reference Library Campaign, a broad-based $10 million capital fundraising campaign in support of the $34 million revitalization of the Toronto Reference Library.
re:vitalize is the first capital campaign in Toronto Public Library's 125-year history and is helping to recreate the Toronto Reference Library as Toronto's foremost public centre for life-long learning, the exchange of ideas and community engagement.
At the launch, the Foundation announced gift and pledge commitments of $5.2 million, including a lead Campaign gift of $3 million from the Bluma Appel Community Trust representing the largest private donation ever made to Toronto Public Library.
"Our goal was to build on the significant investments from the City and the Province to enable the Toronto Reference Library to achieve vital enhancements for Library users," said Richard Boxer, a member of the Foundation's Board of Directors and a member of the Campaign Cabinet. "Thanks to generous and early support from many individuals, corporations and foundations, we are confident in our ability to achieve our goal."
The re:vitalize Campaign is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.
Bram and Bluma Appel
In recognition of the Bluma Appel Community Trust's generous lead gift of $3 million in support of the re:vitalize Campaign, a new state-of-the-art event space on the second floor of the Toronto Reference Library - a key component of the Toronto Reference Library revitalization project - was named the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon in celebration of the legacy of Bram and Bluma Appel (pictured above). This new literary and cultural commons in the heart of the city opened in September 2009.
Bluma and Bram both passed away in 2007, but their contributions to Toronto continue. Toronto Public Library is delighted to celebrate the legacy of these two great lovers of ideas, who lived out and expressed their core values through their philanthropy.
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper on a tour of the library's early Canadiana Special Collections at the Toronto Reference Library.
In October, Toronto Public Library was delighted to host the Right Honourable Stephen Harper at the Toronto Reference Library, seen here with City Librarian Jane Pyper, the Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas) and Mayor David Miller. Canada's Prime Minister announced $3 million in Infrastructure Stimulus Funding (ISF) for the Toronto Reference Library revitalization project.