The generous support received in 2009 from new and renewed individual, corporate and foundation donors, as well as the Friends of Toronto Public Library, helped make an impact on the lives of thousands of Toronto residents.
Twelve individuals whose lives have been enriched by the collections, programs and services at Toronto’s Library were featured in the Foundation’s city-wide promotional campaign in the fall of 2009. Through posters and multi-language public service announcements on OMNI-TV (in seven languages) and on City TV (in English), they shared their stories and helped raise awareness about the impact the library’s services have.
Donors who supported library programs such as Leading to Reading, Storytime Outreach and TD Summer Reading Club, enabled thousands of children to participate in these reading support programs, both in-branch and beyond our 99 branch system, giving them the foundational reading skills they need to succeed in school and life.
Over the course of 2009, over 1,100 new donors demonstrated their support of Toronto’s Library, responding in force to the Foundation’s community giving and Literary Circle programs. Generous donations from individuals also enabled the Foundation to create two new awards for library staff development: The Pauline Hinch Memorial Award for Staff Development and The Peter J. Bassnett Award for Professional Development.
Summer Reading Club Poster
TD Bank Financial Group continued their generous support of TD Summer Reading Club in 2009, allowing for almost 300,000 children to participate in summer reading club programs across Canada.
Leading to Reading programPhoto credit: Toronto Public Library
In 2009, the generous support of CIBC, Great West Life, Manulife Financial and Proctor & Gamble supported the Leading to Reading program in almost 40 branches and helped thousands of children significantly improve their reading skills.
Pauline Hinch
In 2009, two funds were established by generous donors to support staff development at the Library, and two awards were created: The Pauline Hinch Memorial Award for Staff Development and The Peter J. Bassnett Award for Professional Development. In keeping with the donors’ requests, both awards are intended to encourage staff pursuing a career in public libraries.
Staff from Home Library Service paying a visit.Photo credit: Toronto Public Library
In 2009, a significant gift was received in memory of Grayce Margaret Griffith through the American Foundation for Toronto Public Library (AFTPL). This gift will help support the Library’s Home Library Service, an important life-line to over 7,000 people, housebound or living in nursing homes and other care facilities, connecting them to the Library and the community around them.