October 2023 Newsletter from the Broward Public Library Foundation

The Library Foundation is at work organizing our three Literary Feast events being held in late winter and spring.


Feast season begins with LitLUNCH! on Friday, Feb. 9 at 11:15 a.m. in the Atlantic Ballroom of the Lauderdale Yacht Club. Guests will have the opportunity to meet a best-selling author who will speak at this popular luncheon, which features a multi-course meal, complimentary wine, photo ops, a raffle and drawings, and book sales. Sponsorships and premium tables are available.


Literary Feast continues on April 12 and 13 when twelve to fifteen acclaimed authors will visit Fort Lauderdale to participate in both LitLIVE! and A Night of Literary Feasts.


On Friday, April 12, the authors will discuss their books in moderated panels at LitLIVE!, which is a free event and open to the public. Time and location will be announced in coming months.   

The 35th Annual Night of Literary Feasts, our pinnacle celebration of books and authors, will be held on Saturday, April 13 at 5:30 p.m. with a Welcome Reception at Bahia Mar Fort Lauderdale Beach. The reception includes an opportunity to meet each of the Literary Feast authors and enjoy an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, book sales and signings and an outstanding silent auction. After the reception, guests go on to a series of dinners with an author at private homes and upscale restaurants in the Fort Lauderdale area. 


Authors will be announced soon. For tickets and information, visit bplfoundation.org or call 954-357-7382.

Remembering Their Literary Legacies

Broward County Library lost two of its staunchest champions in recent months.


Barbara Cooper, founding member of both the Friends of Broward County Library and the Library Advisory Board, and librarian Jean Trebbi, founding director of the Florida Center for the Book, had been involved with the county library system for 50 years.


A tireless advocate for library services, Barbara, with a team of volunteers, rang doorbells and distributed information to build support for a bond issue in 1978. Their efforts were rewarded on Sept. 12, 1978 when Broward voters approved spending $256 million for capital construction projects, including 12 new and expanded libraries.


She was also active as a trustee in the American Library Association and served on the White House Conference on Library and Information Services Task Force in 1979.


Barbara died on April 18. In her will, she remembered the Broward Public Library Foundation with an IRA distribution of $95,000, which is being placed in the Foundation's endowment fund to benefit the library.

Starting as a reference librarian in 1974, Jean became head of the Main Library. She was recognized for her work as a champion of books and authors by the White House and the American Library Association.


In collaboration with the Library of Congress, Jean established the first state Center for the Book in the United States, and launched a Literary Landmarks Register. The first site to be listed was Bahia Mar marina, home of John D. MacDonald's fictional sleuth, Travis McGee.


Upon her death on Aug. 4, Jean's family has asked her many friends and colleagues to donate in her memory to the Library Foundation.

Summer Learning Program

Through the generosity of more than 80 donors, this year’s Summer Learning Program was a great success.


The theme, “All Together Now,” was a celebration of the differences that make each of us unique. The library offered more than 90 art and writing, cultural awareness, STEM and personal wellness programs focused on helping youth learn about new cultures, other countries and different ways of life.


A large part of the Summer Learning Program is the Reading Challenge. Children and families are asked to read books throughout the summer and log their minutes read in order to win prizes and qualify for grand prizes, such as a new bicycle or theme part tickets. This summer, 2,500 children and teens logged more than 3 million minutes of reading!


The Library Foundation’s annual fundraising appeal raised $39,000 from individual donors, as well as the Community Foundation of Broward, the Charles F. & Esther M. Frye Foundation, JM Family Enterprises, Inc., PNC Grow Up Great, Florida Power & Light Company, and the Children’s Services Council of Broward County.

Wednesday’s Women book clubs meet throughout the year for stimulating conversation about intriguing books. The clubs are a benefit to being a Broward Public Library Foundation member at the $100 Bibliophile level or above. The full schedule is also available at bplfoundation.org. 

Wednesday's Women East meets bimonthly on the second Wednesday of the month from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Call the Foundation office at 954-357-7382 for location.


  • November 8, 2023 - The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
  • January 10, 2024 - The Women They Could Not Silence: The Shocking Story of a Woman Who Dared to Fight Back by Kate Moore
  • March 13, 2024 - Horse by Geraldine Brooks 
  • May 8, 2024 - The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese 
  • July 10, 2024 - Trust by Hernan Diaz

Wednesday's Women West meets monthly on the third Wednesday of the month at 10:30 a.m. Meetings are held at the Weston Library Branch at 4205 Bonaventure Blvd., Weston. Books have been selected through January:


  • Oct. 18, 2023 - The Maid by Nita Prose
  • Nov. 15, 2023 - The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
  • Dec. 20, 2023 - The Huntress by Kate Quin
  • Jan. 17, 2024 - Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

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Book With Brunch: Author Dr. Robert Watson

Book With Brunch will return on Thursday, November 16 at 10:30 a.m. with historian and award-winning author, Dr. Robert Watson. His newest book, When Washington Burns is about the missteps that led to the fall of the capital city on August 24, 1814, when British forces captured Washington.


We are excited to announce that this series will continue to be sponsored by Belmont Village of Fort Lauderdale, which graciously provides the event space and delicious brunch service. 


Belmont Village is located at 1031 Seminole Drive. Register for this event online at bplfoundation.org/book-with-brunch or by calling the Foundation office. Registration deadline is Friday, Nov. 10.
Register Here

Meet the Authors

Two authors explore the challenges of nature – in the wild and in the ocean – in upcoming talks at Nova Southeastern University’s Alvin Sherman Library. The programs, being held in partnership with the Broward Public Library Foundation, are free to the public.


On Friday, Oct 27, South African surfer and adventurer Chris Bertish will speak about his book, All In! The Atlantic Standup Paddle Crossing – 93 Days Alone.

 

Three-time National Book Award finalist Lauren Groff is scheduled to talk about her new novel The Vaster Wilds, on Thursday, Nov. 16.


The programs will be held at 7 p.m. at the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center at NSU’s Alvin Sherman Library, 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Registration is required. For more information or to reserve, visit sherman.library.nova.edu.

Please remember us in your wills and trusts.

'Doing Good' Inside South Florida

February 20, 2025
The Broward Public Library Foundation would like to thank WSFL-TV for featuring us on their 'Doing Good' Inside South Florida broadcast segment! The Library Foundation's Director of Philanthropy, Robert Ahlness, visited the WSFL studio to share about all of the wonderful Broward County Library programs we are grateful to support.

January 2025 Newsletter from the Broward Public Library Foundation

January 8, 2025
In this edition, you will read stories about LitLUNCH! with Susan Page, Books & Bites with Ron Magill, Books 'n' Bears at the Holidays, and more.

LitLUNCH! 2025 with Susan Page, New York Times Bestselling Author and Washington Bureau Chief of USA TODAY

December 20, 2024
Broward Public Library Foundation Announces 15th Annual LitLUNCH!

Sips 'n' Sweets Giveback Event with Kendra Scott

December 9, 2024
Join the Broward Public Library Foundation for Sips and Sweets with Kendra Scott! Stop by to shop and style at this giveback event in support of libraries and literacy programs.

November 2024 Newsletter from the Broward Public Library Foundation

November 6, 2024
In this edition, you will read stories about LitLUNCH! and Literary Feast 2025, Books 'n' Bears at the Holidays, new Board Members, StoryBook Festival, and more.

September 2024 Newsletter from the Broward Public Library Foundation

September 20, 2024
In this edition, you will read stories about the success of the 2024 Summer Learning Program, the new Books & Bites event with author Alyssa Maxwell, the Conference on Children's Literature, Banned Books Week, and more.

Women Making STEAM

August 16, 2024
Women Making STEAM invites women/women-identifying professionals to share their impacts and research contributions in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, or Math.

June Declared as Broward County Library Appreciation Month

June 10, 2024
Congratulations to the Broward County Library! During the most recent Broward County Commission Meeting, June was declared as Broward County Library Appreciation Month.

May 2024 Newsletter from the Broward Public Library Foundation

May 29, 2024
In this edition, you will read stories about the 2024 Summer Learning Program, Book With Brunch with Artist Carol Calicchio, the Literary Feast Recap, the new Scientist in Residence Program, and more.

The Isabel & Stanley Rubel Family Mystery Book Collection

May 7, 2024
The Broward Public Library Foundation has the pleasure of working with the family of the late Isabel & Stanley Rubel to create this endowment fund in their memory. Their three sons Howard, Matthew and Laurence recall their parents' love of mystery novels, which brought them into the Pompano Beach Library regularly. In the creation of the fund, Howard Rubel expressed how his parents “had great vision to see the possibilities of Pompano Beach” and that the family is “delighted to give back to a community that Isabel and Stanley joined over 65 years ago.”
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