OAKLEY – A profit dinner for the brand new Oakley library and community center might be held Aug. 16 to boost money for the power, which could cost nearly $28 million.
The fundraiser, hosted by the Friends of the Oakley Library and the Rotary Club of Oakley, begins at 6 p.m. on the Oakley Recreation Center on O'Hara Avenue. Tickets are $50 each and have to be reserved by Monday. There can also be a chance to sponsor or donate a raffle item; the last day to achieve this is Tuesday.
Liz Fuller, treasurer of the Friends of the Oakley Library, said 85 tickets have been sold to this point. There are sponsorships starting from $250 to $750 from 14 local businesses and individuals, and raffle items donated by 12 local businesses.
Fuller said it was encouraging to see so many individuals excited concerning the latest library and community center.
“Whether we're doing community outreach at a city event or asking major donors to contribute, the response is consistently positive and enthusiastic. … This event feels like a celebration of the fact that we're getting a facility that benefits everyone in the community,” Fuller said.
The profit dinner will include a Hawaiian buffet provided by Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Restaurant in Oakley, a hostess bar operated by the Rotary Club of Oakley, a raffle, a Hawaiian dance performance and guest speakers. Guest speakers for the evening include Jeff Palmquist, Oakley Union Elementary School District superintendent; Kristin Connelly, Contra Costa County Clerk, former president and CEO of the East Bay Leadership Council and executive director of the Contra Costa Economic Council; and Susan Hildreth, former California State Librarian and director of the National Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The current Oakley library, situated in Freedom High School, outgrew the community's growing population years ago. A brand new location for the library was to be found by 2004, but after 20 years, the brand new library has found a possible home within the Oakley Civic Center Plaza.
Oakley has put aside $9.5 million to fund the brand new library, but the town has set a deadline of Dec. 31 of this 12 months to boost additional money to construct a much larger library and community center. This 300,000-square-foot facility will house not only the library but additionally a senior citizen and veterans center and can cost $28 million.
To purchase tickets or learn more about sponsorship opportunities, visit https://www.oakleylibrary.org/new_fundraising_event.
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