For a Good Cause -- Theresa Chase

-- Story by June Casagrande; photo by [tk]

How do you raise $1 million for a library in just a few months? Make

sure Theresa Chase is one of your top people on the job. The Newport

Beach mother of three is co-chairwoman of the Build A Mariners Library

Fund. Along with Chris Wilkinson, she is half of an unstoppable duo

dedicated to building a new Mariners Branch Library in Newport Beach.

“At first, I was afraid it wasn’t possible,” Chase said. “But when

they asked us to do it, Chris and I just looked at each other and

thought, ‘Someone’s got to do it.’ If we let this opportunity slip

through our fingers, the whole community suffers.”

The Mariners Branch Library project was designed to take advantage of

state Proposition 14 funds that pay for the joint projects of separate

entities, in this case the city and the school district. The library will

replace the existing Mariners Branch Library and also have a separate

entrance and area for Mariners Elementary School students, which will

allow the facility to double as the school library.

To qualify for the $2 million in state money, the remaining $1-million

cost of the library must be raised from private donations. And if

mooching a million bucks doesn’t sound difficult enough, try doing it in

only about six months.

The city has until June 10 to have the $1 million in hand in time for

the state deadline to apply for the grant.

“We have been going around to other schools, getting in front of

people in any arena that we can,” said Chase, who fell into her current

fund-raising role after playing a crucial part in the Measure A school

bond campaign. “Rotary Club meetings, PTA meetings, foundation meetings,

we’ve gotten fliers going home with all the kids at all the local public

schools. The most successful contact seems to be the personal contacts.

For example, getting people on different streets to have little coffee

get-togethers for their neighbors. They talk about the library and

soliciting donations. We’ve been very successful with those.”

This strategy of building street-level momentum from street level

seems to be working. As of Friday, close to $300,000 had been raised,

leaving much work to be done but lots of reason for optimism.

“I think we’ll pull it off,” she said. “Everyone has heard about it,

everyone’s getting excited about it. Now’s the time to take out the

checkbook.”

FYI

To make a donation, mail checks payable to the Build A Mariners

Library Fund to the Newport Beach Public Library, P.O. Box 3065, Newport

Beach, CA 92659. For more information, call (949) 644-3150.