LUMBY, B.C. – Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union recently announced a $25,000 donation to the Lumby Library to support the creation of a new technology centre for Lumby. The donation sent ripples into the community resulting in two other contributors coming forward to extend the impact of the funds even further.
The Regional District of North Okanagan—the current landlord of the library—was eager to help, agreeing to provide complimentary building space to house this new technology centre in the same building where the library currently resides.
The Monashee Community Forest is also contributing $8,000 towards the project to support renovations, furnishings, and signage for the new technology centre.
“Libraries are such an integral part of our community, serving as hubs where people gather to learn, grow and connect,” says Paulo Araujo, president at Valley First. “We’re thrilled to be able to support the meaningful work the library undertakes and are even more thrilled to see other community partners have joined forces alongside us to help.”
The Okanagan Regional Library Lumby Branch will be filling the space with several pieces of new equipment, including analog to digital conversion systems and coding training systems for children. They will also purchase virtual reality headsets and a Cricut cutting machine used for crafting—allowing the community to experience new technology and learn new skills without travelling to Vernon.
“We are excited about this new opportunity for the greater Lumby community, which has resulted from several organizations partnering with the Okanagan Regional Library,” says Don Nettleton, CEO of Okanagan Regional Library. “The generous monetary donations and the additional space provided will allow the Library to add equipment and programming to help the community members preserve memories and history stuck on outdated media by converting them to digital formats.”
The new technology centre is expected to open in late April.