'We are profoundly grateful'

Together with my colleague Judy Pedersen, I’d like to extend thanks to all who contributed to the resounding success of this year’s Warwick Children’s Book Festival.
An event of this size involves the talent, hard work and goodwill of a great many people and organizations to whom we are much obliged.
• While the Warwick Children’s Book Festival is organized by and benefits Albert Wisner Public Library, it is first and last a gift to the community from Glenn P. and Susan D. Dickes. Their generosity to causes that benefit children is well and deservedly documented, and is most fully realized at the Library. We deeply appreciate their encouragement and abiding support.
Please join us in saluting and thanking Glenn and Susan when you see them next.
• Tom Roberts of Ye Olde Warwick Book Shoppe, along with his seasoned staff, again partnered with us as the bookseller for the festival. For Tom and his team, the work of the festival is a month-long burst of activity with countless details to pursue – on top of the daily work of running a successful book shop.
We thank and congratulate Tom and all of his staff members for taking on this undertaking with such grace.
• Warwick Valley Telephone kindly donated the time and expertise of two of their best technicians – Justin Trone and Pete Luciano – to help us configure and test equipment and secure a DSL line for uninterrupted internet access throughout the festival. The importance of such a service cannot be overstated.
Justin and Pete were knowledgeable, efficient and good-natured throughout, and we thank them and WVT very much for their efforts.
• Lifelong reader and book lover Penny Steyer, manager of the Warwick Valley Farmers’ Market, made space and encouraged us to publicize the festival at the Farmers’ Market. Being able to meet and chat with people about the festival on two busy Sundays there was invaluable in helping us spread the word, not just within the community but also to visitors to Warwick from neighboring towns.
Thank you, Penny!
• ShopRite of Warwick again donated a bounty of apples, snacks and beverages for us to provide to the 69 authors and illustrators who participated in the festival. It’s a long event for the participants, and being able to offer refreshments to restore their energy was vital.
Special thanks go to Terri in the Floral department. Facing a worldwide shortage of helium (who knew?), Terri mustered ShopRite’s own very limited helium resources to fill the festival’s large order of balloons. We thank her for pulling out all the stops to help us make the festival welcoming and brightly decorated on an otherwise gloomy-looking day.
• The festival’s teen volunteers served as the ultimate ambassadors, not just for the festival itself but for Warwick as a whole. Many authors and illustrators thanked us specifically for the teens’ boundless help and enthusiasm during the festival.
The teens also performed two stories in American Sign Language, under the tutelage of Ferne Lurie and accompanied by authors Jordan P. Novak (of Warwick) and Nick Bruel.
As one author emailed us to say, “your teens are THE BOMB!”
• The Friends of the Library again supported the festival, unloading books, selling book bags, distributing small gifts to children, helping manage the checkout line and more. Their year ‘round presence at the Library, running the Friends and Bookends book shop and hosting special book sales, is a continual blessing.
Judy and I reserve our last and greatest thanks for our colleagues at Albert Wisner Library. Their willingness to share the load - from ordering supplies to designing newsletters to distributing posters, working with teen volunteers and sorting books – makes all the difference.
We are profoundly grateful and fortunate to work with them every day.
Sincerely,
Lisa Laico
Albert Wisner Public Library
Warwick Children’s Book Festival