First, the facts

The Million Pennies Campaign for Library Renovation was established by library staff on March 29, 2010. Its purpose is to raise one million pennies — that’s $10,000 — in cash donations to put toward the renovation of the P.H. Welshimer Memorial Library at Milligan College. The Million Pennies Campaign is a part of Milligan College’s Forward Ever campaign, which is seeking to raise $25 million for initiatives across campus, including improvements to the library building. Our plan was to harness the energy and enthusiasm of our users — students, faculty/staff, and community borrowers — toward a concrete, attainable goal in the service of needed improvements to the library facility. As a creative twist, we wanted to do it essentially by asking for no more than the change our users carry around in their pocket or purse, or find under the pillows of your couch. If we raised $10,000, we would allow our users to name a library study room anything they like (this is the privilege afforded to any donor who pledges the same amount). The library puchased a Lucite donation box and installed it on the circulation desk, so that users could watch our funds grow as the campaign progressed.

How have we done so far? As of March 2, 2011, the Million Pennies Campaign has raised $2,913.06 — nearly 30 percent of our goal! $578.50 of that total has been raised through donations to the box or direct donations to the Advancement office in the name of the campaign. The library has also applied additional funds to the campaign — $1,632.50 from our 2010 Homecoming Book Sale, and $702.06 from the sale of library discards and donations through Better World Books.

What do these facts mean?

The campaign has met with great success in its first year. But donations in the last few months have fallen off a bit compared to our rousing beginning. We’d like to inject some new energy into the campaign!

We’re challenging you, our loyal and enthusiastic library users, to give generously as we celebrate the campaign’s first anniversary. Think of the improvements you’d like to see. Think about how an elevator would improve accessibility and convenience. Think about how an upgraded heating and air system would reduce energy consumption and render those frustrating window cranks obsolete. Think about how an espresso bar would change the way you study and spend time with friends. Think about these things, then consider if you’re willing to put the change in your pocket to effect great change in Milligan life and culture.

Since the beginning, we’ve asked our donors to write their names on slips of paper to drop into the box along with their donations. We wanted to be able to thank our donors by name on a monthly basis, as we have done faithfully since the beginning, through public mentions on the library blog and on InfoToday. One hundred and nineteen donors have contributed over the last year (see below). To renew interest in the campaign, and to offer a concrete reward to those who donate, we’ve decided to hold a monthly drawing using the names of each month’s donors. Our first giveaway item is a like-new hardcover of the 2010 book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The winner will be drawn from names in our donation box when the March donations are counted on Monday, April 4, 2011. Future prizes will be similarly modest, but it’s a small way to give back to those who are willing to translate their appreciation of the library into meaningful action for a brighter future.

We encourage you, our friends and colleagues, to give freely to make a vastly improved library possible in the near future.

Thanks again to those who have given so far:

Jacob Albrecht, Kelly Alexander, Beth Anderson, Charlotte Anderson, Lauren Anderson, Abby Banks, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Belteshazzar, Helen Biard, Anne E. Bishop, James Bowlin, Barry Brown, Kellie Brown, Ken Broyles, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Sidney Burns, Bruce Cakebread, David Campbell, Mason Cantrell, Ben Carpenter, Dr. Ellen Stahl Carpenter, Carolyn Carter, Teresa Carter, Ruth McDowell Cook, David Corwin, Kristina Cumby, Ashley Cunigan, Bri Curtis, Jim Dahlman, Brittney Dale, Dan^2 Live!, Gary F. Daught, Joy Drinnon, Erin Dye, Erasmus, Lauren Eversole, Megan Foote, Rachiel Foulks, Theresa Garbe, Betty Goah, Bill & Edwina Greer, B. Elizabeth Griffith, Gumby, Katherine Haehl, Deb Harbin, Jefferson Harbin, Chris Haskins, Dennis Helsabeck Jr., Walter Hendrickson, Angela Highfield, Erica Hiteshew, Heather Holland, Samantha Holley, Clinton J. Holloway, L. Ron Hubbard, Grace Hughes, Ryan Hughes, [illegible], Grace Jackson, John Jackson, Mary Jackson, Jenny, Diane Junker, Dr. Jack Knowles, Hannah Kellogg, Adam Knust, Emily Krug, Rachel Landry, Timothy Laurio, June Leonard, Amanda Loughlin, Mike Luzadder, Pat Magness, Bob Mahan, Garrett March, Jeff McNabb, Phil McNear, Krysta McMahon, Jonathan Mehl, Marshall Menchaca, Jake Merrick, Ashley Monce, Ellen Moore, Norma Morrison, Mount, Chuck Norris, James Oaks, Dan Ott, Jessi Pansock, Tommy Parker, Random Security Guy, Jessie Rose Remegi, Emma Rees, Sarah Rhymer, Ben Richardson, Janey Robinson, Jessica Saltzman, Gail Scalf, Candice Schlaegel, Jennifer Sheldon, Robert B Shields, Shannon Slaughter, Joseph Smith, Katherine Smith, Meredith Sommers, Alicya Suit, Aniela Suit, Elizabeth Taflinger, Amber Thomas, Danielle Thomas, Jay Thomas, Theodore N. Thomas, Adam Tomlinson, Tim Wasem, Matt Watkins, Brian Williams, Halie Winfrey, and Zachary Zuehlke.