It’s not news that the public library is moving. When the town entered into negotiations to relocate to a new building where part of the Sawridge Mall now stands, the library knew its days were numbered. That was fine. The library is outgrowing the space as it is and a voluminous, modern facility would suit it quite nicely.
One problem. The library was going to have to cough up the million bucks or so needed to build on to the new Town / Provincial complex. For an organization that fundraises less than $10,000 a year, the idea of having to raise that much money was daunting to say the least.
Enter the Rotary Club of Slave Lake. No stranger to raising large amounts of money – they raised $250,000 last year alone – Rotarians got behind the project and committed themselves to raising $400,000 by May of 2009. Former Rotary president, Tyler Warman explains why the club rallied to the cause.
“The town building was no longer adequate. The library was going to have to move and the town has to build that,” says Warman. “By us getting on board to fundraise, it allows them to save a lot of borrowing money for other projects. If we can raise all the money, then this building won’t cost the taxpayers anything.”
And by “all the money,” Warman means a lot more than a million. The projected cost of the new library now stands at $2.3 million. Undaunted, the Rotary Club dug in its heels and is now responsible for wrangling up all the dough. Their own contribution of $400,000 remains but Warman, with the help of fellow Rotarian Harry Bartlett, is now chasing down alternate avenues to generate the funds.
“We’ve broken that $2.3 million down into several different areas,” Warman explains. “We’ve got (the Rotary’s portion), corporate sponsorship at $440,000, some government grants we’ve applied for at $900,000, and the balance to share between the two municipalities for $560,000. The Rotary is well on its way and has raised $80,000 so far.”
To solicit corporate sponsorship, parts of the library can be “sold” for brand recognition. For example, the children’s literature area could be named the ATCO Children’s Reading Centre, or something like it. The library has been divided up into 14 areas and six of them already have sponsors worth $130,000.
There is a fundraising option that is not listed in the books anywhere. If a company, club, or individual wanted to donate $500,000, the library with be named after them.
“That’s for a lifetime naming of the library,” Warman says. “That figure isn’t worked into our fundraising because if no one steps up and does that, we won’t have fallen short of the target. So far, we’ve had a few nibbles and are optimistic that se might actually sell that.”
Warman is also waiting to hear from the federal government about a $900,000 grant he applied for to use against the total cost.
“We have mixed feelings about that sort of this. We were optimistic in the beginning but recently, we (haven’t) seen a lot of those dollars heading north. I don’t want to sound negative yet because there is still a lot of opportunity and we’re started on some other grants too. We wanted to make sure that if this big grant doesn’t come through, it doesn’t kill the project.”
So what happened for the Rotary Club to step up and assume so much responsibility? Raising $400,000 is one thing. Why are Warman and Bartlett so involved with getting other organizations on board?
“We have some really old members that are retired and have a lot (free time). That has really helped us out a lot,” jokes Warman about his partner. “Seriously, we committed to this project, not just a portion of it. It’s necessary for us to fundraise but also to get involved in some other aspects of the project and do what we can to get this thing off the ground.”
“There is an eight member board overseeing this project,” Bartlett explains. “There are Tyler and myself, the mayor, a town councilor, an M.D. representative, the library board chair, the librarian, and a person at large. Our specialty (Bartlett and Warman’s) is fundraising. We’re not saying we’ll raise $400,000 and we’re done. We’re saying let us approach these businesses, corporate bodies, and organizations. That’s sort of our strength. Tyler and I make a good team.”
Of special concern to Warman is the perceived negativity some people have surrounding the entire project. Sometimes, there are misunderstandings about what is happening with the project.
“There were a lot of great projects out there for this year but we felt that this one was definitely at the top of the pole,” Warman says. “It was the biggest necessity for the town and would allow us to help everyone, not just a small group of people. We find it very beneficial to partner with the town because together we see the community as a whole. They prioritize the needs and wants and we can determine immediately how to help.”
In addition to its fundraising promise and large corporate donations, individuals that denote $500 or more will have their name added to the donor recognition wall that will stand for the life of the building. More details will be released later but Bartlett says that all donations will be gladly accepted and people will receive a tax receipt in return.
“We’re a little different than other Rotary Clubs,” Bartlett says. “We still do our international aspect but we really want to help our community. The library will reach everyone, from the little tiny kids learning to read all the way to seniors. We’re not ignoring other small projects in our town but we’re throwing all our weight behind this one."

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