November 2017 Letter from the President of the Board
Emily Kane
November 19, 2017
Season’s Greetings -
This month is a time that many people take time to practice gratitude and, for some, to recommit to living a life of service and care for their communities. I’m sitting down to write today to ask for help from our community, because we are facing a serious and growing problem and to share a little of the story of the humble and remarkable Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library that I cherish.
We’ve been a community-owned and volunteer-run organization since 1974. For 43 years caregivers in our community have been coming together to make a fun, fascinating, and warm playspace available to all families in our region. Our visitors include families of every income-level, race, religion, and from many nations. We have been a bulwark against caregiver isolation and postpartum depression for generations of Pittsburgh families. We know that play is protective, nutritive, and transformative in the lives of young children and their families.
We seek to keep our space accessible to every family who might benefit from joining us at play. We offer membership scholarships, open the space to other non-profits serving children 0-5, and maintain an affordable fee structure for members and non-members. Remarkably, for a non-profit of our size, we are financially self-sustaining.
We host more than 500 visits from families every month and currently have 168 members in our cooperative. Our lending library holds over 250 high-quality educational toys that have been selected and curated by an Early Childhood expert. Our board is working hard to rejuvenate the playspace as well as our website over the coming year.
If you are a part of a family with young children that aspires to an ethic of service, of taking responsibility for and loving your community, environmental stewardship, or even minimalism, I believe the PTLL is one of the most powerful ways in our region to live out your family values WITH your children at your side.
Here’s the problem we face: WE NEED more Volunteer Members. While our visitor and membership numbers are holding steady or increasing, our volunteer member numbers have been declining for several seasons. Families express that they would like us to be open more. We would love to do that. We only need the families in place who are willing to commit to opening our doors once or twice a month. Volunteering with us is easy, scheduled based on your availability, and we all put caring for our own children first when serving a volunteer shift. We know that surprises happen - don’t let that worry be the thing that keeps you from volunteering.
We have 256 pledged volunteer hours this month. To begin expanding our hours and prevent volunteer burn-out and last minute closures, we need 405 pledged hours per month.
So, this season, COME MAKE MAGIC WITH US! We are one-of-a-kind. Consider joining us in our decades-long endeavor to make a community playspace generous enough for all children and caregivers in our region. Tell your friends we need them, too. Share our posts on Instagram and Facebook. Contact our Membership Coordinator, Amber Pace, at membe...@pghtoys.org or visit our website to learn how to join, change to Volunteer status, or request a scholarship.
Best to you -
Emily Kane, MS, LPC
