The Stayton Public Library Foundation's Endeavor

Libraries offer place for thinking, and our area has great ones. (Salem Statesman-Journal, 5/24/2011)

Excerpt:  In this era of 24/7 television and Internet, a lot of folks say books are going out of fashion. What they forget is that a book is a permanent fixture in society. No matter how many gadgets and gizmos come along, a book will be around forever. It might eventually be in a digital format but it'll be there.

But a library is more than a place for books. It's a place for thinking. For imagining. For wisdom. And for knowledge.

One of the reasons our library is so good is the Stayton Public Library Foundation. This group organized in 1992 with the dream of adding on to the library. They put their money where our books are and paid for the construction of the 7,500-square-foot addition to the library.

But they haven't stopped. Now they are helping to pay the cost of operating the library. They're doing it through the new Crown Jewel Society. Seventy-seven people have so far contributed $24,000 toward the operation of the library.

As much as any other group in the area, the foundation has demonstrated that you can reach even the loftiest goals if you set your mind to it and attract the good will and generosity of the community.