Your Gift’s Impact

Patrons in the Read, Play, Shine areaThanks to the generosity of donors like you, the Daniel Boone Regional Library has been able to expand programs and services to our communities. Gifts to the DBRL Foundation enhance a variety of library services and collections and empower many different communities.

Every year, the Foundation selects a large-scale project to address an identified community need. You can give directly to these special projects through the Foundation. Read below about recent initiatives and the ongoing community impact.

Families who wish to honor or remember a loved one can direct their donation toward a specific collection or project through the DBRL Foundation.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

There is a direct correlation between school success and how early a child is introduced to books. To encourage children to discover the joy of reading at an early age, the library launched “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” for children ages birth to 5. To support this early literacy initiative, the Foundation asked the community to donate and cover the cost of reading incentive items for the participating families, raising nearly $37,000. Since the library introduced “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” in September 2021, more than 2,000 preschoolers and their families in Boone and Callaway Counties have signed up! Library staff regularly see families coming in to get their reading incentives and reading log for the next 100 books of the challenge.

Excel Adult High School

In the fall of 2021, Daniel Boone Regional Library joined other libraries in the state to offer Excel Adult High School (EAHS), an initiative of the Missouri State Library. According to the U.S. Census Bureau there are 12,600 adults in Boone and Callaway Counties who did not finish high school. Within the first few days of announcing this new program, DBRL received more than a dozen applications, demonstrating an obvious need for this service. To ensure that tuition costs aren’t a barrier to these motivated learners, the DBRL Foundation offers scholarships for EAHS students. Tuition for each student, along with a Chromebook to participate in the online course, totals $1,000. Supporting students in this program is an ongoing priority for the DBRL Foundation, as funds become available.

Brainfuse Online Tutoring

In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of elementary and secondary students around Mid-Missouri began to attend school online. To support local students learning at a distance, Foundation donors gave almost $45,000 to fund the library’s subscription to Brainfuse, an acclaimed online tutoring service. Free to all library cardholders, Brainfuse provides effective, one-to-one academic support on hundreds of topics for learners of all ages. The contributions of Foundation donors funded more than two years’ worth of subscription fees to support all students in our community.

Enhanced Outreach Services

In the fall of 2019, 209 donors gave almost $24,000 towards helping DBRL enhance their outreach services to homebound patrons. With that funding, the library plans to increase programming at residential facilities, add more items for hearing- and vision-impaired patrons and raise awareness of the services for more patrons to access these tools.

The advent of COVID-19 placed severe restrictions on our ability to implement some of these plans. However, we have not forgotten them, and we hope we will soon be able to bring more delightful programs and materials to these beloved patrons. When we are able, the funds raised will help DBRL deliver a lifeline of books, music, movies and programs to our community’s homebound residents.

Book Rover

Book Rover

With more than $158,000 in donations from individuals and businesses, the library purchased a specially equipped van called the Book Rover in 2019. Each year, the Book Rover takes story times, books and other library materials to more than 4,200 preschoolers in child care centers.

Melissa Carr Literacy Through the Arts Fund

The Melissa Carr Literacy Through the Arts Fund was established in 2017 through donations honoring the retirement of long-time DBRL director Melissa Carr. Gifts to this fund go directly to help bring in a noted musician, storyteller or other performing arts experience that many families would be unable to afford otherwise. Past community concerts include “Laurie Berkner LIVE!” in 2018 and “Justin Roberts and The Not Ready for Naptime Players” in 2019.

STEAM Kit Code-a-pillar

STEAM Kits

Through gifts to the DBRL Foundation, the library has been able to expand and enhance STEAM education for our local youth. In 2017, Foundation donors gave $20,000 towards purchasing additional types of kits for families to check out. These tech kits build skills in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. The library strives to build literacy in many areas, including being able to speak, read and communicate effectively about science, math and technology. Gifts to the Foundation support these library efforts and nurture innovation.