Junior Friends of the Library Membership Continue to Grow

The Junior Friends of the Hasbrouck Heights Library thank both members of the Friends and Junior Friends of the Library for making the recent Second Annual Pizza Bash with the Juniors such a big hit.

The annual pizza bash is a great way for the kids to welcome in the school year and make way for a great start to the holiday season with this pre-Halloween get-together, according to Justin Watrel, chairman of the Junior Friends of the Library.

After a short meeting to discuss past events and discussed the 2013 event calendar, the guests enjoyed a pizza dinner, sponsored by Bensi Ristorante, a member of the Friends Merchants Program. Desserts were sponsored by Watrel who is an alumnus of the Culinary Institute of America. In honor of the end of baseball season, the Juniors watched the "The Bad News Bears" starring Tatum O'Neal and Walter Mattau.

The Junior Friends of the Library was founded in 2011 as an extension of the Friends of the Library as a way for younger patrons to participate in the Friends of the Library and in 2012 it celebrated its first full year as an organization.

Over the past year the Juniors were involved with several events including the first annual stuffed animal sleepover where younger patrons let their stuffed animals over night at the library. The Juniors assisted and also sponsored dinner for the volunteers and breakfast for the patrons and guests.

The Juniors also participated in the Summer Reading Program of the Library with a new program, ‘A Celebration of Books’, honoring the 40^th Anniversary of the teen classic, “Freaky Friday” which included a visit from celebrity author, Mary Rodgers.

The Juniors also assisted in Town Day, the library’s Annual Summer Bash and will assist with the welcoming of Santa at the library’s “Story Time with Santa” in December.

From a founding membership of 32 members to a roster now 45 in number, the Junior Friends of the Library are continuing to grow and prosper. Their participation in the Hasbrouck Heights Library are adding to making our library a fun and cultural center of the Hasbrouck Heights Community.

The mission of the Junior Friends of the Library is to provide quality events that enrich and broaden a child’s world of imagination while promoting family time at the Hasbrouck Heights Library.

Information provided by Justin Watrel, chairman of the Junior Friends of the Library.