Who says You can’t repeat the past? Why, of course, you can!
Take it from Jay Gatsby himself and step back into the roaring ‘20s with St. Louis County Library Foundation’s upcoming gala.
Themed “A Great Gatsby Celebration,” the Aug. 26 gala will take place at The Reverie in Chesterfield.
“It’s a new location, new space for us. You’ll walk into the venue and it’s going to be ‘Gatsby,’ it’s going to be this whole vibe,” said Jackie Hamilton, assistant director of advancement for the St. Louis County Library (SLCL). “We want it to be a huge cocktail party where everybody is having fun. Dinner will be passed – think of salads in shakers – so everyone will be able to walk, talk, eat. And there will be chairs, high tops, lounges and couches, plenty of space to prop up your legs and smoke a fake cigar.”
Hamilton notes this is the foundation’s first gala since 2019.
“We’ve had smaller gatherings with the food truck events and last year’s concert, but this is our first gala since the pandemic, so we’re going to jazz it up,” Hamilton said. “We encourage everybody to come in theme with those flapper dresses dripping in pearls!”
The event with be oozing with Jazz Age pageantry, complete with a VIP reception, special entertainment, lush lounge seating and more. Hamilton even teases “Leo look-alikes,” referring to the 2013 film, “The Great Gatsby,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role.
Proceeds from the event support the work of the St. Louis County Library Foundation to secure financial support for SLCL beyond public tax dollars.
“The money will be used where it’s most needed – child literacy, development for Read & Play programs, internships, community services such as providing Wi-Fi hotspots, food initiatives like summer lunches, support for small businesses and seniors and more,” Hamilton said.
This spring, SLCL introduced its Community Resource Initiative, bringing social workers to five branches, including Florissant Valley, Lewis & Clark, Natural Bridge, Rock Road and Weber Road. The program provides referrals, case management and other assistance to those who face barriers in accessing social services.
The program has already made an impact in its early stages, according to Hamilton. She says social workers are better able to assist patrons who may be experiencing mental health issues and other hardships.
“What used to happen was that our library branch managers were faced with assisting those who needed services, but they weren’t necessarily skilled in dealing with mental health issues,” she said. “By having the social workers there, the social workers are able to talk to patrons and see what they need. It might just be a housing or a rent issue, but some can eventually be a life-threatening safety or mental health issue that the social workers can identify.”
In one case, Hamilton notes, a social worker was able to intervene and help a young girl in immediate danger.
“There was a girl at the library who (the social worker) suspected was being sex-trafficked. We don’t even know how she had gotten there, but the social worker was able to talk to her and figure things out,” Hamilton said. “We’re a safe haven for the community.”
In addition, SLCL is working to replace its aging fleet of bookmobiles. The library has used bookmobiles since 1947, the year the first building opened, as a way to make books and services more accessible to students in underrepresented areas. For many of these young readers, their only access to books is through these libraries on wheels.
“Everybody has a story about a bookmobile being in their neighborhood,” Hamilton said. “We now have three new ones, and we’re looking for a fourth one.”
Through the years, SLCL has shown the library is so much more than books.
“We’re a community hub,” she said. “You can go check out pickleball, telescopes, fishing rods. We have so many programs like the small business labs that especially encourage women and mature adults to be more entrepreneurial. We are so much more than a library.”
“A Great Gatsby Celebration” to benefit the St. Louis Library Foundation takes place Saturday, Aug. 26, beginning with a VIP reception at 6 p.m., followed by the Extravaganza portion of the evening from 7 to 9 p.m. Click here for tickets.
Gazelle is a proud media sponsor of “A Great Gatsby Celebration.”
