A primary source of funds for the AAUW Corpus Christi Branch has been the annual book sales held at the Neyland Library, a branch of Corpus Christi Public Libraries. Book sales are coordinated by the Book Finders Committee that was founded and chaired by Sue Stanford for many years. When Sue passed away in 2012, donations were made to the Friends of the Corpus Christi Public Libraries in her name. Those funds were set aside for an annual memorial program at the Neyland Library. The first year’s donations were used to present the Carranza Puppeteers Children’s show.
2023 Teen Bookfest by the Bay
AAUW Corpus Christi Branch proudly co-sponsored the Eighth Annual Corpus Christi Teen Bookfest by the Bay held on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at the American Bank Center, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm. The Teen Bookfest is a FREE Book Festival open to the public, and it is funded by grants and donations to support, promote, and celebrate the joy of reading. The event is hosted by Coastal Bend librarians and educators, and it features middle grade and young adult authors. Some of our AAUW members volunteered at the event on Saturday.
Our Branch annually provides funds to the Friends of the Corpus Christi Public Libraries, and those funds were used this year to acknowledge and thank the 20 authors and one illustrator at a dinner the night before the big event. Authors and the illustrator featured their works at the event with book signings, panel discussions, and workshops. The Corpus Christi Caller Times ran a front-page story about the illustrator at the event.
2022 Teen Bookfest by the Bay
AAUW Corpus Christi Branch co-sponsored the 7th Annual Teen Bookfest by the Bay, a free Book Festival promoted by the Corpus Christi Public Library that is open to the public. Each year, our Branch helps support Corpus Christi Public Library programs with a donation
to the Friends of the Corpus Christi Public Libraries. Some of those funds are being used by the CCPL to support this program.
The event was held February 19, 2022, at the American Bank Center, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. It was designed to support, promote, and celebrate the joy of reading for young readers by featuring middle-grade and Young Adult authors. There were 22 authors and illustrators for the public to meet, gather autographs, and take pictures. To learn more about the authors and the event, check out the website for Teen Bookfest by the Bay or the Facebook site.
Prior Year Programs
For 2021, the Sue Stanford Memorial program sponsored the astonishing Mr. Pitts and Frank the Wonder Dog in “Imagination is a Super Power!” This is a virtual program packed with magic, puppets, and cartooning fun for the whole family. Information about the program and the link to the YouTube video have been posted to the Corpus Christi Public Library’s home page. There are unlimited views, and anyone can watch it, so share with family and friends. We thank Michelle Balis, Managing Librarian of the Neyland Library, for coordinating this virtual event.
In other years, the AAUW Corpus Christi Branch annual donations to the Friends of the Corpus Christi Public Libraries have helped to support the Children’s Reading Program. The Public Library hosts a variety of children’s events focused on encouraging reading at a young age, and the AAUW donations help supply the books, crafts, and other materials needed for these events. The Children’s Reading Program includes events such as Preschool Music and Motion, Ready Readers, Baby Lapsit Storytime, and Mad about Science. Other special events include the annual Children’s Library Festival and Summer Reading Club. (Prior years have included Circus Chicken Dog in 2020, Dr. Sketchy in 2019, and Lanky the Clown in 2018.) The program is structured to support learning through fun interactive activities for children of all ages.
Other portions of our donations to the Friends of the Corpus Christi Public Libraries have been used to supplement the adult sections of the library. Donations have been used to buy 1,000 classic books that formed the foundation of the “Classics Collection.” The library also has used donations to expand the selection of classic movie DVDs and books on CD.
Another previous event co-hosted in prior years by the Branch, in partnership with the Corpus Christi Public Libraries, was a dinner honoring the authors of young adult literature, as a part of the Teen Bookfest By the Bay. These authors were invited by the Public Library to present writing workshops for secondary area students. The workshops provided insight to the building blocks for establishing character, setting, form, and structure for a well-written story. These techniques also provided students with the skills to succeed in high school, college, and beyond.