Tickets for the Thunderbirds fundraiser can be purchased on the Friends of East Longmeadow Public Library website.
Photo credit: Friends of East Longmeadow Public Library
EAST LONGMEADOW — The Friends of East Longmeadow Public Library are calling for the community to join them for a fundraising outing at the Springfield Thunderbirds game against the Iowa Wild on March 6 at 7:05 p.m.
The group is an all volunteer, registered 501c3 charitable organization of “individuals dedicated to fostering a love of libraries, books and reading in the East Longmeadow community,” according to their website.
While the town and state provide money to libraries for materials and technology, many of the programs at the library are paid for by the Friends and local contributions. Friends President Diane Tiago said the fundraiser started about a year ago when she saw the Thunderbirds did benefit evenings for various nonprofit organizations.
She said the first event was in March 2025 around St. Patrick’s Day. The Thunderbirds assigned a section of the arena to those who bought tickets through the Friends’ personalized link. Tickets for this year’s event are currently available for $23 on the Friends’ website, and a percentage of ticket sales goes directly to the organization.
“We do these fundraisers in order to obtain funds to help support all the different programs that go on in the library,” Tiago said. “Nobody’s charged, a patron who wants to go to a program, there is no cost to them in order to go, but there is a cost to have somebody come in to do a program.”
The fundraiser is intended to be a “community fun event,” according to Tiago. She said that libraries have become central for activities and do as much as they possibly can for the community, so this is a way the community can say “I love my library.”
“It’s a reciprocal kind of thing,” Tiago said. “Hopefully those that like hockey will go and enjoy a pleasant evening and help the library through the Friends, and help to pay for some of those programs that they enjoy all year round.”
She added that they’re going into the Thunderbirds night with an open mind and that the Friends don’t put on fundraisers with a target goal or particular dollar amount for earnings. The organization is grateful for whatever is earned through their various fundraising events, according to Tiago.
There are also gift basket fundraisers three times a year, bake sales and membership dues to help support library programs. She added that the library puts on a summer reading club in June with entertainment for the children, such as magicians and face painting. These events help people unfamiliar with the Friends to come and meet the individuals a part of the organization.
“Just little things, shall I say, to have some fun and have the community say ‘look at the library and look at what a great job the library is doing,’” Tiago said. “We’re in the background, behind the curtain and so forth, to help make different things happen at the library.”
She said the group also advocates for library budgets and mentioned ways to support public libraries other than attending fundraisers, such as writing to representatives.
“Usually when it’s budget season, nothing goes down,” Tiago said. “The cost of everything goes up, so we are always trying to help out here. It’s not just financial, but we try to help advocate and be there in other ways to support our public libraries.”
