It is that time of year again when we recognize community members or organizations who have had an exceptional impact on the library. You will recall that last year 5-year-old Anna Kolkmeyer did a lemonade stand that raised $150 for the library in addition to funds raised for flooding victims in Texas. Well, as a 6-year-old, she decided to one-up her younger self. She held another lemonade stand fundraiser and raised $275 for the library this summer. I think this is an extraordinary thing for a child to do, both in terms of ambition and generosity! Rather than thinking about how much candy, games, and toys that money could buy or setting it aside in a college savings account, she wanted this money to come to us to pay for kids’ books for her community. As parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, I think we can all appreciate that this is no small feat for a child! That’s why Anna stands out to me as a strong potential recipient of this year’s Palmer Award.
If you have other nominees in mind, those can certainly be brought up at the meeting.
Recommendation: I recommend that you approve the Palmer Award for Anna Kolkmeyer.