Mt. View Library Endowment Created

February 25, 2009: Mark and Sandra Wilmot of Union Dale have established The Mountain View School District Library Endowment with The Community Foundation of Susquehanna and Wyoming Counties. This is a permanent fund meant to provide additional revenue to the libraries in the Elementary School and the High School.

Mark initially established a fund for this purpose in 1994 by donating the stipend he received as Acting Treasurer for the Mt. View School Board. An avid reader, he believes that school libraries are essential to giving students a quality education.

Mark and Sandra had become involved with The Community Foundation in recent years, and decided to have the Foundation administer their library fund. The renewed endowment for the libraries has sparked interest throughout the district. The Susquehanna County United Way held the Mountain View Staff/United Way Community Service Scholarship with The Community Foundation, and rolled its fund into the new library endowment. School District faculty and staff will have the continued opportunity to designate their United Way contributions to benefit this new Mountain View School District Library Fund.

Additionally, the Tourje family of Forest City, who are staunch supporters of local education, have also enhanced this new fund by contributing some of the proceeds of the Jessie Osgood Tourje Fund, which is also administered by The Community Foundation to support projects in the Blue Ridge, Forest City, Mountain View, and Susquehanna Community School Districts.

"We believe that moving the fund to The Community Foundation would help fulfill Mark's original intent to have a fund that grows over time to help provide extra funding for one of our schools' most valuable resources," explained Sandra Wilmot. She and Mark hope that the fund will continue to grow through tax-deductible donations from others in the area who believe that students deserve a well-stocked library.

School librarians Corrine McNabb and Peter Regeski expressed their appreciation for the Wilmots' generosity and the community's recognition of the value of strong library programs in the development of the fully rounded student of the 21st century. The district's web address is www.mvsd.net.