for the Nova Southeastern University Alvin Sherman Library
Circle of Friends invites you to join us at our 2024 Paint the Town Red, White, and Rosé fund-raiser event. In addition to sampling sumptuous and tantalizing varietals of wine and hors d’oeuvres, you will help Circle of Friends in its campaign to preeminence: funding innovative collaborative spaces, signature author events, and fostering early literacy within our community and so much more.
Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity and get your tickets today!
Nova Southeastern University’s Alvin Sherman Library held its signature family literacy event, StoryFest on March 3, 2024. This year’s StoryFest theme was “Reading Rodeo”, featuring a petting zoo, storytellers, face-painting and more. Attendees had an opportunity to interact with fun barnyard characters and fan-favorites such as South Florida PBS’s Miss Penny. As always, we were proud to partner with wonderful vendors such as This Is Improv to provide high quality entertainment to the families attending this event.
Free pizza and hot dogs were served courtesy of Hungry Howie’s’ Pizza of Davie. As part of the library’s efforts to encourage reading, each child who attended the event received a free book.
With all the success our generous donors, sponsors and partners have helped us achieve, we once again hosted our 2nd Annual Donor Breakfast in December to express our gratitude. Our guests enjoyed mimosas along with brunch fare, while renowned artist Duda Penteado, also known as THE ARTIVIST gave our guests a Flash Art Experience, as he demonstrated his mastery of linework and abstract form by live painting a 36” x 48” canvas; an original piece of artwork that would be sold by silent auction to benefit NSU’s Shark Food Pantry, a campus organization that aims to alleviate hunger and food insecurity within the Broward community.
Jim Hutchens, Vice President of Information Services and University Librarian welcomed the guests and gave the State of the NSU Alvin Sherman Library. Andrew Martineau, President of the Circle of Friends, the community support arm of the Library then spoke, followed by Diane Klein, Director of Library Partnerships, Engagement, and Promotion, who presented a video on how the Library benefits from the support from our generous donors, sponsors and partners. Katie Gittleman, Director of STEM Initiatives and Outreach, then explained how the funds raised from the auction of Duda’s artwork will benefit the NSU Food Pantry. Finally, Duda spoke, sharing the impact of his work and where he derives his inspiration. The guests then had a chance to mingle with the artist.
We are so grateful to our generous event sponsors: Quadracci Cabrera Family, Balloonatics, Young at Art, Jill Sivert, This is Improv, Klein-Steiner Family and The Hutchens Family
In November, we partnered with NSU University School, to welcome New York Times Best Selling Author Lauren Groff. Lauren Groff, who has been called one of the generation’s “finest living writers” by The New York Times, took the stage to share her experiences, inspirations, and creative process that have contributed to her remarkable and award-winning writing career which includes The Matrix (winner of the Joyce Carol Oates Prize and one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2021) and her newest release, The Vaster Wilds. Attendees were captivated by Groff’s reflections on the craft of writing and discussion on what influences and informs her best-selling works. 6-time Emmy Award-winning TV news reporter and University School parent Laurie Jennings lent her local star power to the affair, moderating a lengthy discussion with Lauren Groff. Longtime Circle of Friends will recall Groff’s first visit to NSU Alvin Sherman Library in 2008.
NSU Alvin Sherman Library’s Circle of Friends and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital presented the 23rd A Day for Children on October 21, 2023. This annual health literacy event has been a Davie community staple since its inception in 2002, was a smashing success with 687 adults and 692 children in attendance. This health-centered event featured ambassadors from many of NSU’s medical clubs and programs to provide free testing and resources for children from birth to age 16 and the Circle of Friends was delighted to be one of the sponsors.
Attendees were kept entertained with activities from Young at Art, Preggo Dance, This Is Improv, face-painting from Top Hat Entertainment, and live performances from Florida Children’s Theater and The Girl Choir of South Florida. Refreshments were on hand from Goji Juicery and Hungry Howie’s Pizza of Davie to make sure attendees could enjoy the event without being inhibited by hunger.
We were also proud to host dignitaries from around the South Florida community, including Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz and Broward Sherriff’s Office Gregory Tony. Stars from our local entertainment scene also made appearances, local celebrity Miss Penny from South Florida PBS KidVision made a special appearance for photo ops and story time with familiar kid-favorite characters such as PBS’s Clifford the Big Red Dog in tow.
This event also provided an opportunity for our organization to challenge food inequity in our community. Our partner Feeding South Florida distributed 19,334 pounds of fresh produce to attendees. As outlined in Circle of Friends’ mission statement, one of our goals is fostering early literacy within the community. We were happy to have contributed to reaching that goal at A Day for Children, distributing 562 individual books to families, including chapter books, graphic novels, and cookbooks.
At October’s end, Circle of Friends held its second signature author event, ALL IN: Author Talk with Chris Bertish. We were proud to welcome South African conservationist, surfer, businessman, author, filmmaker, and three-time Guinness World Record holder Chris Bertish to our sunny Ft. Lauderdale campus. Bertish discussed his book All In! The Atlantic Standup Paddle Crossing -93 Days Alone at Sea. The talk detailed his historic 2017 accomplishment of being the first individual to Stand Up Paddle (SUP) across the Atlantic Ocean, an arduous solo trip that spanned from Morocco, Africa to Antigua in the Caribbean. Bertish also recalled his experiences at sea which include but are not limited to, being hunted by a great white shark, being towed by a giant squid, and capsizing multiple times. Attendees were equal parts enthralled by Bertish’s harrowing journey, and uplifted by his positive attitude, forged through his experience at sea, which shows that one can accomplish anything that they put their mind to.
The Alvin Sherman Library Circle of Friends was delighted to host Dearest Reader…Author Talk with Julia Quinn on Sunday, September 10, 2023.
Attende
es were transported to Regency-era Britain and enjoyed a luxe high-tea as they had the opportunity to meet one of the most prolific writers of our generation, Julia Quinn.
Julia Quinn is the author of the Bridgerton series of romance novels, which has been adapted for television by Shonda Rimes (Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder) for the streaming giant Netflix. The series, which stars Jonathan Bailey, Luke Andrews, Nicola Coughlan (Barbie, Derry Girls), and Dame Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins) has enchanted audiences since its 2020 debut.
This event was a hit among students, faculty, and the general population alike, with those attending having the enviable opportunity to learn about Julia Quinn’s start as a writer, creative process, and her latest book Queen Charlotte.