Susan and Rick Fienberg
After 40 years of living in the Boston area, my husband, Rick, and I moved to Grafton for the starry skies and a chance to try out country living. I knew from the start that I’d be uplifted by waking each morning to the view of Cardigan outside our windows, but I was worried about feeling isolated. Instead, I found not one but two welcoming communities – the fabulous neighborhood on Williams Hill and the eclectic group of Graftonites who are committed to supporting and expanding our wonderful town library. I’ve always enjoyed spending time in big city libraries, browsing among the wealth of books and knowing I could take any of them home, free of charge. I didn’t expect to experience similar delight at Grafton’s library, where the quality of the collection means that I can find something I’m eager to read on every single shelf. My life in Grafton has also been enriched by the friends I’ve made through the library’s book club, astronomy club, and FoGL. Through the library community and all that it offers, I feel connected and nourished both intellectually and socially. That, plus the beautiful surroundings, makes Grafton a place I’m glad to call home.
Sharon Kahkonen
We moved from Central New York to Grafton about three years ago. I have always been drawn to the natural beauty and the quaint New England villages in this area. When an opportunity to purchase a fixer-upper in East Grafton arose, I jumped in and took up the challenge. Renovating our old 1800 house has kept me very busy, but it has been a rather solitary endeavor. Because Grafton is out in the middle of nowhere, I did not expect there would be many opportunities for socializing. But I was pleasantly surprised by all of the holiday events sponsored by FoGL that take place in our little town, such as the Garlic Festival, pumpkin carving, wreath making, the Spring Fling, and town wide yard sale and barbeque, I decided to join FOGL because I very much enjoy working with the dynamic group of women in FOGL, and because I wanted to contribute to their mission. I whole-heartedly support the idea of building a new and better library for the benefit of all Grafton residents.
Mary Gasiorowski
I visit my local library to look for interesting books and movies, do local research (like town reports) and for social interaction. There is no other place in Grafton where you can just show up and find someone to talk to. The library staff has been creative, for example, connecting us to Inter-Library Loan to give us access to items outside our collection. But all the rearranging of furniture can’t give us more space or separate quiet and social spaces or a children’s room. We need a more accessible building with more space and parking.
Deb Clough
In my career as postmaster I became aware of the importance of human interaction. It is vital for a healthier and happier community. What better place to achieve this than a library where people of all ages can gather to share their common connections and gain new insights. A vibrant library can be the glue that brings a community together. In our rural area, I can walk out my back door and head out into the forest for a couple hours or miles for comfort and solitude of this natural environment I love. And then take a ride over to the library, grab a coffee and chat about the latest book I'm reading, a book I should read, or how to make a good loaf of bread. I can laugh, commiserate, give or receive needed info, I can hang outside of the home and feel at home. As I have stated before, solitude is wonderful, isolation is not.
Elaina Bergamini
I grew up in the woods in Rhode Island and had access to a library with generous children’s and young adult sections. Summers were filled with weekly stacks of books that I would devour between swimming and bicycling the backroads with my friends. Libraries in rural areas are particularly valuable as a shared resource. When I first moved here, I was committed because it was the right thing to do for my community. Now that I have 3 children, I am committed because they deserve more than a 38 square foot children’s section and I didn’t dare bring them to the library during the potty-training years. I am so proud to be working with my teammates. They are loving and hardworking and tackle crazy ideas with energy and excitement. We have fun and are just loving this ride and we’re all looking forward to seeing our dream come to fruition- an adequate library that we can all use for many purposes.
Alice Roy
Last year, I could see that I was spending too much time alone and needed to find something meaningful to do. That’s when I found Friends of the Grafton Library. I am so glad I did. Never have I met such a warm, caring bunch of ladies. They don’t hesitate to go out of their way to help each other. Like a Family. I was quickly accepted into the group and was happy to learn that we shared a vision for the library.
Meet the Friends of Grafton Library
FOGL formed in 2014 to support the Grafton Public Library. For nearly ten years, FOGL has invested tens of thousands of dollars into the public library and has been an instrumental and nimble arm of the elected Trustees. In addition to providing supplemental operating/programming income with its creative and community-building fundraisers, FOGL is committed to building a universally-accessible library that will benefit Grafton for the next century.