Todd Allen, store manager at Wegmans in Centerton Square, and Janet Kelleher, past president of the Friends of the Mt. Laurel Library, were honored on June 4 at the New Jersey State Library Association awards reception held at the Revel in Atlantic City for contributions to Mt. Laurel Library.
Allen was honored with a Library Champion award for underwriting the cost of Mt. Laurel Library’s popular second Sunday concert series for the past three years. In 2010 the library was in danger of losing this music and cultural program due to budget cuts. It needed a sponsor and reached out to Allen for support. After reviewing the proposal, Wegmans agreed to fully fund the concert series, and continues its support to this day. All concerts are free and open to the public.
Kelleher was honored for her work over the last 10 years as president of the Friends of the Mt. Laurel Library. Under Kelleher’s leadership, the Friends have grown from a small group of dedicated volunteers to an organization that raises more than $50,000 a year. That money directly funds items for the library. Support from the Friends has helped redesign the teen area in the library, provided the two book drop off containers outside in the building along with chairs and tables for meeting rooms as well as many other items that benefit library visitors.
Members of the community are encouraged to join the Friends of the Mt. Laurel Library. For more information, please visit www.mtlaurel.lib.nj.us.
