trying to make a difference part ii - running a half marathon

I got a Thank You note from the NYPL - apparently a record 130,000 letters were written on behalf of the library. Even though they will have to cut back on a lot of programs, it won't be $37 million. I wish they were more specific about the exact figures, though... "enough funding has been restored to avoid closing libraries" just doesn't cut it for me.

Speaking of exact figures, I have decided to run a THIRTEEN mile half marathon in October. Now I will be the one doing the fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I'm really excited about this because not only can I potentially meet new people, but I can also feel more fit and, most importantly, actually make a concerted effort towards the battle against blood cancers.

Here's my page

Or use the box below to donate (if anyone actually reads this blog, that is):

Trying to make a difference - a letter I just sent to the New York City Council

More info here:

http://dontclosethebook.nypl.org

Dear Margaret Chin,

I urge you to restore funding for our city's libraries, which face a record budget cut of $37 million.

Public libraries - and the people who work in them - give everybody free access to a seemingly infinite expanse of information. That alone should be enough to convince you of their utmost importance. How else can we, as Americans, profess to be a democratic society, if we diminish our support for the one place that truly provides equal opportunity to us all?

Amid the vastness of New York City, the NYPL's branch libraries stand as symbols of the local communities they support. Terence Cardinal Cooke-Cathedral in Midtown East bustles with 9-5ers picking up holds or browsing the shelves in the spare moments between company meetings. Morningside Heights Library on the Upper West Side opens its doors freely to Columbia and non-Columbia patrons alike.

Librarians offer programs and courses free of charge, with neither judgment nor agenda.

As a Chinese-American immigrant, I am grateful and proud to live in a country that has such an extensive public library system. However, I will not be proud of my elected officials in NYC if they refuse to maintain the quality of service provided by this system in the interest of blindly cutting costs. Now is not the time to close the book on libraries.

Sincerely,

Christine Zhang