Foley Library Donations Totaling $17,000 to Add Saturday Staff, STEAM Lab Support

FOLEY, Ala. — The Foley Community Library is getting a $17,000 boost from Foley library donations and grants that will pay for extra staffing, including Saturday help, and support its STEAM Lab, after the Foley City Council formally accepted the gifts. The money arrives as the library continues to expand programs in its new 40,000-square-foot building on East Orange Avenue, which opened in August.

According to the city, the donations will provide funding for education, staffing and other opportunities at the library. The contributions include $7,000 from the Friends of the Library, a $5,000 gift from a Foley resident and a $5,000 Dollar General Youth Literacy grant. The Alabama Humanities Alliance will also reimburse the library for the cost of a presentation at the facility.

Friends of the Library funds Saturday staffing

The largest single gift came from the Friends of the Library, which donated $7,000 to fund a temporary position that will provide additional staffing on Saturdays.

The Friends of the Library is a group of Foley-area residents who support library activities through efforts such as the annual Book Sale and the operation of the library’s Bookstore. Mayor Ralph Hellmich praised the organization for its continued dedication.

“We very much appreciate the Friends of the Library,” Hellmich said. “They are an outstanding, cooperative group and they’re very proud of the library. We are very proud of it too and we appreciate everything that they do.”

Friends groups like Foley’s are common at public libraries across the country. They are typically volunteer organizations that raise money through used-book sales, memberships and events, then give that money back to the library for needs that fall outside or on top of the regular city budget, such as programs, equipment or, as in this case, extra staff hours.

Resident’s $5,000 gift will also support staffing

Library Director Kate Norris said an additional $5,000 donation from a local resident will also help fund part-time staffing, and the City Council approved using the contribution for that purpose. When the gift first appeared on the council’s agenda earlier this month, it was listed as a donation from Roger Tasker, as South AL News reported in its preview of the Oct. 5 council agenda.

Together, the Friends of the Library gift and the resident’s donation add $12,000 toward staffing, a significant help for a library that has roughly doubled its physical space in a single move.

Grant supports STEAM Lab; humanities presentation reimbursed

The council also accepted a $5,000 Dollar General Youth Literacy grant to support the library’s STEAM Lab, which focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards youth literacy grants each year to libraries, schools and nonprofit organizations to help young people build reading and learning skills.

In addition, the Alabama Humanities Alliance will reimburse the library for expenses associated with a presentation at the facility. The council agenda described the item as a grant agreement for a Road Scholar presentation. Road Scholars is the Alabama Humanities Alliance’s speakers bureau, which sends scholars and other experts to libraries, museums and community groups around the state to give talks on history, literature, culture and other humanities subjects.

“We booked a presenter. We signed a contract with them, and they will reimburse us for it,” Norris said.

A new building, and a focus on programs

The donations come as the Foley Community Library continues to expand its services following the August opening of its new 40,000-square-foot facility on East Orange Avenue. The building offers approximately twice the space of the former library, which had been located next to City Hall since 1984.

The new library opened on Aug. 4, 2026, and includes features such as a sensory room, a STEAM/STEM lab and a porch overlooking the city’s rose trail. It is the latest chapter in a history that stretches back more than a century, to 1923, when members of the Foley Community Welfare Club set out to collect 500 books and opened a small subscription library in a borrowed furniture store room. South AL News traced that history in From 500 Donated Books to a $20 Million Building.

Hellmich commended Norris and library staff for their work in expanding programs and services at the new facility, pointing to a recent presentation Norris gave to local residents.

“She did a fantastic job telling them about our library,” Hellmich said. “It wasn’t just about the facility. It’s about the programs. The programs that they have are amazing that they have there. We have a great opportunity here with everything that they’re doing.”

The contributions at a glance

• $7,000 from the Friends of the Library for a temporary position to provide Saturday staffing
• $5,000 from a Foley resident for part-time staffing
• $5,000 Dollar General Youth Literacy grant for the STEAM Lab
• Reimbursement from the Alabama Humanities Alliance for a presentation at the library

How residents can get involved

Together, the contributions will help the library continue building on the opportunities available to Foley residents through its expanded facility, educational resources and community programming. Residents who want to support the library have several options:

• Join or volunteer with the Friends of the Library, which raises money through the annual Book Sale and the library’s Bookstore.
• Shop the library’s Bookstore or attend the annual Book Sale.
• Attend library programs, including STEAM Lab activities and visiting presentations.
• Contact the library about making a donation; gifts to the library are accepted by the Foley City Council.

Information about hours, programs and events is available from the Foley Community Library on East Orange Avenue.