Re: WE DID IT! The Tool Library Buys Its Home! 🛠️
Leanna Frick
Borrow Tools. Build Community.
The Tool Library Buys Its Main Street Home!
Dearest Tooligans,
I write with some of the best news I’ve ever had the privilege of sharing with you — WE DID IT! We have officially purchased our home at 2626 Main Street! We couldn’t be more grateful to you and to every single supporter who made what seemed like an impossible dream a reality. And we couldn’t be more excited about what this means for the future of The Tool Library and the sharing economy in WNY.
For years, we weren’t just searching for a bigger space to house The Tool Library’s growing inventory—we were looking for a permanent home to plant our roots, grow our impact, and ensure we’d be here to help our neighbors for generations to come. . When we moved into 2626 Main Street in June of 2023, we knew we found that home. As a small, still largely volunteer-powered organization, we launched an ambitious campaign to purchase and renovate our new home.
At the end of last month, we met our Phase 1 goal of raising $500,000 to purchase the building and, as of October 2024, I’m happy to report we have the deed in hand!
This momentous milestone was only possible because of the 300+ individuals, organizations, businesses, and foundations locally and around the world who believed in our vision for 2626 Main Street as a community hub to gather, learn, grow, and share. Because of your generosity, we’re well on our way to realizing that vision!
Significant support for the acquisition of our building came from:
The Junior League of Buffalo and The Buffalo News
M&T Charitable Foundation
New York State Senator Sean Ryan
James H. Cummings Foundation
The Paul and Dorothy Borenstein Memorial Foundation
CannonDesign
The Marilyn Lichtman Foundation
Family Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
Rich’s Family Foundation
Launching Phase 2
of our Capital Campaign
With Phase 1 completed, we are launching into Phase 2 of our campaign to raise another $500,000 for critical repairs and improvements to 2626 Main Street. Thanks to a pro-bono comprehensive facility condition assessment from FOS of CannonDesign, we now have a ten-year roadmap for what our building needs. This allows us to be more strategic in prioritizing repairs and ensures that our historic home can play a pivotal role in expanding our services and programs, while also serving as a major catalyst for the surrounding neighborhoods.
We continue to dream big with our building, with planned improvements that include reviving the building’s historic character, installing new exterior signage, improving energy efficiency, reconfiguring the interior layout, improving accessibility, and enhancing our Main Street streetscape.
We are looking at every one of these improvements and renovations as learning opportunities for community members and volunteers. Our plan is to have DIY workshops coincide with major improvements—ranging from masonry to electrical work—providing hands-on experiences for individuals to acquire new skills.
Building the Vision
As we embark on Phase 2 of our Capital Campaign we are actively seeking both funding as well as partners in the skilled trades who share our passion for sharing the skills our neighbors need to improve their own homes and communities.
To support The Tool Library’s campaign to renovate 2626 Main Street, please visit https://givebutter.com/2626.
Thank YOU for making many more year of borrowing, building, lending and learning possible!
Yours in sharing,
Darren Cotton
Executive Director
HELP US BUILD!
Copyright (C) 2024 The Tool Library. All rights reserved.
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