Calgary Public Library Foundation donors lifted our community to greater heights in 2023. Many challenges face our community, and donors ensure that the Library is a place where potential can be reached, barriers are torn down, and creativity is encouraged.
In March of last year, Library supporter and installation artist Maria arranged a beautiful sculpture of balloons to celebrate the opening of LibraryStore+. Her love of balloons has a profound connection to what the Library provides to her and her three daughters. For Maria, balloons are more than a colourful display. Just like the Library, they are also a symbol of hope, joy, and possibility:
“I have loved balloons since I was eight years old. In the Philippines, where I grew up, we go for Sunday Mass. Vendors outside the church sell food and—guess what?—balloons. On rare occasions, my father would ask me what I’d like after service, and I’d pick a bright balloon. The excitement of being asked what you really want and then receiving it has become etched in my heart.”
Whether it’s a big, bright balloon or your very first Library card, we invite you to reflect on the hope, joy, and possibility that you felt as a child when you received exactly what you wanted. Thank you for making 2023 an uplifting year.
