The mission of the Friends of the Marina Library is to provide advocacy, funding, and volunteer resources to support the Marina Branch Library in order to meet the needs of our community.
The Friends of the Marina Library (FoML) hosts programs for young children, such as Dads Read, and we hold events for teens and adults: concerts, movies, and art workshops. Last September, FoML engaged chess coach Joe Rice to guide young chess players. Most of the participants are middle schoolers - self-titled “The Marina Chess Falcons”. Their weekly meetings have been a rousing success. In the coming years, we wish to expand opportunities for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. We will survey middle-school students to identify programs they would enjoy. Based on early feedback, we plan to offer nature-oriented field trips, art and computer classes, animation and robotics seminars, and we will offer tangible encouragement for budding writers. We aim to inspire children at this particularly vulnerable age to feel an ownership of the Marina library and its programs. We hope you will support our goal!
Our organization supports the Marina Library, which is patronized by people from throughout the County, primarily from Marina, Seaside, the Peninsula and Salinas. We raise funds with our book sales to support library purchases and maintenance, which benefits anyone who reserves a book from anywhere in the County. Non-profits and government agencies from the surrounding towns use the community room each month and benefit from our funding of the AV system. Dads Read draws about 200 people a month, many of whom are from Marina, but there also are regulars from as far away as Carmel and Salinas.
We surveyed middle-school chess club participants mentioned in our Big Idea. Club members come from Marina, Salinas, Seaside, Monterey, Del Rey Oaks, the Presidio, Pacific Grove, and Royal Oaks. They attend 23 schools plus home-school. Our library is in Marina, but its service and impact is much broader.
My son, Charlie, decided he wanted to learn how to play chess a few years ago. But, my husband and I did not know how to play, so we resorted to YouTube. Charlie learned a few basics from videos online, but he didn’t have peers to play with. When I saw the announcement about the chess club that was forming at the Marina Library, we jumped at the chance to join! This club quickly became Charlie’s favorite after-school activity. Our family is so grateful for Coach Joe and the library for giving this group of kids such an amazing opportunity. Club members have not only learned how to play chess, but they also practice life skills such as patience, concentration, sportsmanship, and teamwork. And I must mention how much fun this club is! Thank you for offering an experience for kids that has positive life-long benefits.
- Jaclyn Clement Kinney, Seaside
