Finca La Maya Inaugurates Community Library

On Saturday, February 14th from 3 to 7 p.m., residents of San Carlos and surrounding communities, volunteers, local politicians, sponsors, and friends gathered to celebrate the opening of their new community library and Dell Computer Lab at Finca La Maya, the Cultural Arts & Events Center. The library, now a reality after a year of construction, was possible with the help of local residents and businesses who contributed in the form of grants, sponsorships and donations. Finca La Maya’s goal is to enhance educational and cultural opportunities for local Panamanians, with the addition of this library, local families and anybody looking for a way to broaden their education can use its resources freely for homework, personal studies, and entertainment!

All were invited to visit the building where the new library was built which is adjacent of the classroom facility. This is where free community programs take place on Saturdays. They include an English language class, an "Art for Kids" class and "Family Movie Night" offering free family entertainment. For this event, the classroom was set up with various donations from friends and local businesses to be part of the silent auction that took place till 6:00 p.m. An amazing array of items were offered ranging from a mango cheese cake to hand painted scarves, building materials, hand made jewelry, throw pillows, paintings, golf clubs, a plane ride above Panama City, restaurant gift certificates, and more. Every item had a brief description as well as a starting bid price. Guests were invited to add their bid to purchase the items on display.

We then proceeded to the library area for the ribbon cutting ceremony. The Library is a nice airy space with shelving sporting novels, magazines, children’s books, movies, etc. In the middle of the room there is a workstation with 10 laptop computers donated by Dell for computer labs to be held on Saturday afternoons. Finca La Maya will initially keep the library and computer lab open Fridays and Saturdays from 12 - 5 p.m. Library membership cards can be purchased for $20.00 for adults and $10.00 per child and will allow you to take out books and movies for a predetermined allotted time. Individuals that want to spend time at the library to peruse books or work on the computers will incur no fees.

To add to the festivities, a Mariachi band dropped by and serenaded us on the colorful porch of the building while the tally of the auction items was being done.
 
 During the evening, Finca La Maya raised approx. $2,500 through the auction as well as the sales of refreshments, library memberships and private donations. The funds will help with the ongoing needs such as furniture, supplies for the free programs, workbooks for English classes, art supplies and much more. There is always the electricity bill, the purchase of a printer, installation of an Internet access, as well as providing for a staff person to keep the library open and accessible to the public.

For more information on how to sponsor library cards for local children or to make a donation, please visit their website http://www.fincalamaya.com/, at the Community Programs link.
 
 To close off this very enjoyable event, guests returned to the pool area where people mingled and chatted with friends and new acquaintances.