By Christine Mwangi, Director of Fund Development
On Thursday September 16, Kent District Library hosted its 7th annual Literary Libations Gala at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. We ate. We laughed. We were inspired. We raised money for a great cause.
This sold-out event had almost 300 attendees excited to share in an evening of celebrating four amazing authors (Catherine Coulter, Rebecca Deng, Peter Heller and Christopher Cosmos), and promoting KDL's youth poetry programming and outreach.
Over $66,000 was raised and we couldn’t have done it without Centennial Securities (Title Sponsor), Adamy Valuation (Hemingway Sponsor), our Honorary Committee, all the table sponsors and the tireless work of the Gala Planning Committee.
Locally acclaimed poets Ericka “Kyd Kane” Thompson, current Grand Rapids Poet Laureate, and Marcel “Fable” Price, previous Grand Rapids Poet Laureate and Executive Director of The Diatribe, were also in attendance and they were instrumental in advocating for youth poetry programs in our city.
Darius Quinn, Kent County’s Human Resource Director, was honored as the 2021 Library Champion award for his extensive work that helped KDL embark on what has been a successful journey to championing equity, diversity and inclusion.
At the end of the event, we heard from Rebecca Deng in a powerful interview with emcee Catherine Behrendt, where she shared her advice on how we can be more welcoming to our new American neighbors who are migrating to our community.
If you missed this remarkable evening, you’re welcome to view the digital photo album and donate to the work of KDL.
Save the date for next year’s Literary Libations Gala, Thursday September 15, 2022. You don't want to miss out on all the fun and excitement!
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