A lot to be thankful for this year

This is Maddalyn. She's one of the reasons we're thankful this year.

We have a lot of reasons to be grateful at Mentor Public Library and a lot of people to thank.

Let's start with our volunteers.

So much of what we do depends on our volunteers. We couldn't deliver books to our homebound patrons without the volunteer drivers. There would be no Paws to Read without the therapy dogs and their owners. Many of our programs depend on the money that the Friends of the Mentor Public Library raise during their book sales at The Read House. (If we have to single out one person from this helpful group, Dennis Hauer has raised more than $25,000 for the library from online book sales!)

The teens who help run our children's programs in the summer, the St. Gabriel parishioners and employees from Selman who painted our second floor, and the Boy Scouts who built a pergola outside of our Headlands Branch—we wouldn't be the same without you!

Andrew Brachna, one of our homebound drivers, brings books and movies to patrons who couldn't get them otherwise.

We also need to thank our Board of Trustees. They offer their time and expertise to make Mentor Library the best library possible.

And our partners! We work with a lot of organizations, businesses and nonprofits in our community. Some of them support our Summer Reading Programs. Others have teamed with us on our Core Card, book clubs or on programs. And then there are groups like the Mentor Community Arts Commission who support us with grants.

Thank you all! It's a pleasure to work with you.

Diva, one of our therapy dogs from Paws to Read, interrupts Leah's reading for a canine kiss.

Finally, we want to thank our patrons—every single person who crosses our threshold, whether it's to use our computers, read our books or check out a movie. Maybe you just need a clean well-lit place to study. We're thankful that we can help.

A library is ultimately a reflection of its community; and, if we're a good library, it's because of your support and patronage.

Thank you and we hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you for making us part of your lives.