‘Drive for 5’ set for April 20 to 26
(Oneida, NY – April 2014) Leading up to its 90th anniversary celebrations, Oneida Public Library is revving up its New Library Project capital campaign with “Drive for 5” during the week of April 20 to 26, culminating in a day-long social media blitz Saturday, April 26.
The OPL’s Drive for 5 enlists the help of local businesses, organizations and community members to get the word out about the New Library Project and to raise donations.
“The Drive for 5 is our way to utilize social media to raise awareness and funds for the new Oneida Public Library,” said Carol Butler, the OPL Capital Campaign Project Coordinator. “We hope that reaching out to our personal friends through social media in all locations, across the nation and even worldwide, we can raise significant amount of money in a short time.
“We call it the Drive for 5,” she added, “because we’re asking for donations of $5, $500, $5,000 or more. No gift is too small, and each contribution is significant.”
Community Car Wash, Route 5 in Sherrill and Upper Lenox Avenue in Oneida, is donating 20 percent of its proceeds to the New Library Project during the week of Sunday, April 20, through Saturday, April 26.
Meanwhile, members of Boy Scout Troop 2 will be hooking on residents’ doorknobs notices of a special Bottle and Can Drive for the New Library. The Boy Scouts will then pick up returnable bottles and cans on Saturday, April 26, between 10 a.m. and noon and redeem them at Cash for Cans, Glenwood Ave. Afterward, the Boy Scouts will be rewarded for the good deed at the OPL with pizza and beverages donated by The Big Cheese of Phelps Street.
On April 26 between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. at the OPL, volunteers will be dropping in and texting, tweeting, Facebooking, emailing and phoning their social media contacts with the message to donate funds via the OPL’s web site (www.midyorklib.org/oneida/), where credit card donations can be paid through a secure Paypal account. Refreshments will be served, and participants will qualify for a drawing at the end of the day to win several prizes, from a tablet to a gift cards at local businesses.
To highlight the Drive for 5, the Oneida Library Foundation is hosting railroad historian John Taibi that Saturday, April 26, at 2 p.m. when he will debut a special program called “Oneida the Historical Railroad Hub.” In words and pictures, Taibi will recall the heyday of Oneida as a commercial and passenger transportation center, where the New York, Ontario and Western, the New York Central, the West Shore and other railroads converged and crossed. He will also address the possibility of high-speed rail coming to the area.
To involve teens, the OPL will roll out a red carpet and set up a photo shoot for Junior Prom goers from 3 to 5 p.m. On their way to Oneida High School for the Grand March, prom goers can stop by the OPL, have their photographs taken as a memento, sample some snacks and text friends about the special features planned for the new library. Ralston Supply of Canastota is providing the red carpet and photo-shoot backdrop.
At 7 p.m., the Old Clay Stone band makes an appearance for a free two-hour concert. Playing a mix of country, folk, Adirondack and more, the band features David Taylor on 12-string guitar and vocals; Frank Cook on banjo, guitar and vocals; Pat Mercer on mandolin and guitar; Jim Corpin on percussion; and Suzi Taylor on bass.
The 90th Anniversary of the founding of the Oneida Library will be celebrated at a party for community members old and young on Sunday, April 27, from 1 to 3 p.m. Included in the festivities will be children’s entertainment by magician Ron Cain, cake and punch and a proclamation by Oneida Mayor Max Smith.
For more information, stop by the Oneida Library, 220 Broad St., or call 363-3050.