News
Realtor steps up to help library
SHAMOKIN — Both as a child and later as an educator, Joe Bressi came to appreciate the value of the public library.
BY RACHEL CARTA
AND ANDY HEINTZELMAN
NEWS-ITEM STAFF
SHAMOKIN — Both as a child and later as an educator, Joe Bressi came to appreciate the value of the public library.
When he heard last week the Shamokin-Coal Township Public Library was facing further financial uncertainty with a 50-percent reduction in the Shamokin Area School District’s contribution, he decided to act.
Bressi, president of Bressi & Martin Real Estate Inc. and Bressi & Martin Auction Co., said that his firm will donate $200 for every property listed and sold by the firm over the next year to the library that serves the community where the sale is made, meaning not only Shamokin-Coal Township will benefit, but so will Mount Carmel and Ralpho Township public libraries.
“We ... have always taken an interest in the success of our local libraries. We appreciate your hard work and consider the library a cornerstone to our local community,” Bressi wrote to in a letter to Mary Ellen Lowe, director of the Shamokin/Coal Township library.
Lowe said she was “thrilled and overwhelmed” nearly to tears when Bressi told her about his plans.
“I think that it is wonderful that a businessman has stepped up the plate to help out the library, and we just hope more will support the library in this time of need,” Lowe said.
In an interview, Bressi said he felt compelled to act.
“Being a former school teacher, I know we can’t afford to lose or even jeopardize our local library,” he said.
He recalled his younger days, too, when he “used the library a lot.”
He hopes his action spurs others to contribute.
Lowe recently voiced her distress at the decision of the school board to cut the donation from $7,500 to $3,750 in an effort to decrease a more than $1 million budget deficit for the 2008-09 fiscal year. While the figure may seen low, Lowe said the decreased funding could affect what the library received in state funding, which is based on local municipal contributions.
Shamokin school board business manager Stephen Curran said the cut was made due to a nearly $2 million deficit the board was facing for the 2008-09 fiscal year. He stated that cuts were made across the board.
Board members also stated in a previous story that the funding was cut because, due to the hours of operation, many students who are involved in extra-curricular activities aren’t able to utilize the library.
The donation from Bressi will be given to the library per transaction for any property listed and sold by the firm. The promotion does not apply to “co-broke” sales or referrals from other offices. It will be valid from July 21, 2008 to July 20, 2009.
The firm held a similar fund-raising effort some 20 years ago in an effort to help local libraries.
“We hope this promotion will help assist you through this time of financial strain and help insure our local libraries will prosper and continue to give back to our communities,” Bressi wrote to Lowe.
When he heard last week the Shamokin-Coal Township Public Library was facing further financial uncertainty with a 50-percent reduction in the Shamokin Area School District’s contribution, he decided to act.
Bressi, president of Bressi & Martin Real Estate Inc. and Bressi & Martin Auction Co., said that his firm will donate $200 for every property listed and sold by the firm over the next year to the library that serves the community where the sale is made, meaning not only Shamokin-Coal Township will benefit, but so will Mount Carmel and Ralpho Township public libraries.
“We ... have always taken an interest in the success of our local libraries. We appreciate your hard work and consider the library a cornerstone to our local community,” Bressi wrote to in a letter to Mary Ellen Lowe, director of the Shamokin/Coal Township library.
Lowe said she was “thrilled and overwhelmed” nearly to tears when Bressi told her about his plans.
“I think that it is wonderful that a businessman has stepped up the plate to help out the library, and we just hope more will support the library in this time of need,” Lowe said.
In an interview, Bressi said he felt compelled to act.
“Being a former school teacher, I know we can’t afford to lose or even jeopardize our local library,” he said.
He recalled his younger days, too, when he “used the library a lot.”
He hopes his action spurs others to contribute.
Lowe recently voiced her distress at the decision of the school board to cut the donation from $7,500 to $3,750 in an effort to decrease a more than $1 million budget deficit for the 2008-09 fiscal year. While the figure may seen low, Lowe said the decreased funding could affect what the library received in state funding, which is based on local municipal contributions.
Shamokin school board business manager Stephen Curran said the cut was made due to a nearly $2 million deficit the board was facing for the 2008-09 fiscal year. He stated that cuts were made across the board.
Board members also stated in a previous story that the funding was cut because, due to the hours of operation, many students who are involved in extra-curricular activities aren’t able to utilize the library.
The donation from Bressi will be given to the library per transaction for any property listed and sold by the firm. The promotion does not apply to “co-broke” sales or referrals from other offices. It will be valid from July 21, 2008 to July 20, 2009.
The firm held a similar fund-raising effort some 20 years ago in an effort to help local libraries.
“We hope this promotion will help assist you through this time of financial strain and help insure our local libraries will prosper and continue to give back to our communities,” Bressi wrote to Lowe.
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