It was a beautiful, sunny, spring day on March 16, 2023 (after a week of battering storms) when supporters and community sponsors of the Daly City Public Library Associates gathered at the Colma Community Center to celebrate the 10th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon. Over 150 supporters from business, education, public service and city government sectors were gathered to share a meal and support Daly City Public Libraries.
The luncheon began, as have many in the past, with Lynne Miller playing the bagpipes in honor of St Patrick and Ireland. Teresa Proaño, the 2023 Luncheon Event Chair, welcomed all the guests and introduced the 2023 Event Committee, Victoria Magbilang – DCPLA Executive Director, the DCPLA Board Members, local elected officials in attendance and recognized all the sponsors at the Platinum, Gold and Silver Shamrock levels that were also highlighted in the printed program. Attendees enjoyed Irish Soda Bread provided by Adrienne Tissier during the introductions.
Monica Devincenzi of Republic Services and DCPLA Board President thanked the Event Committee for their work and introduced Bob McLennan from Planet Fitness and a long time supporter of the DCPLA, to offer the Irish Blessing for attendees prior to the meal.
The delicious meal, prepared by Dominic’s On the Go, consisted of traditional corned beef, carrots, potatoes and cabbage and was served by DCPLA board members along with a side of mini-cupcakes provided by Sweet Dreams. Though delicious, there was still plenty of everything left over for attendees to take with them and continue enjoying after the luncheon.
Tom Piccolotti, newly appointed Daly City Manager, shared some words of gratitude and appreciation for DCPLA, its supporters and the partnership that has developed between the city and DCPLA over the years. In the previous year, DCPLA gave over $27,000 worth of grants to the Daly City Libraries to fund programming and equipment. He expressed specific appreciation for DCPLA’s involvement in improving civic life through sponsorship of the Daly City Youth Poet Laureate Program and the Art and Lit Fest along with partnering on various other city events. Tom shared his vision to restore the identity and services of the Daly City Libraries and his efforts with City Council Members to help bring that about. He ended by declaring that the “future of Daly City Libraries is strong!”
Charles Cannon, a member of the Event Planning Committee from Lexus of Serramonte and also the newest DCPLA board member, gave the keynote address. As an author and child of an author, Charles shared his love and appreciation of libraries as keepers of history, culture and equalizer of resources. Most memorable were his “ABC’s of Libraries” where he cataloged the different ways libraries are important – one for each letter of the alphabet!
Monica Devincenzi then transitioned the group to the main event (besides the meal) of the luncheon, – hearing the impassioned pitches from community members, aimed to motivate attendees to help fund specific “Fund The Need '' projects being proposed. Helen Fisicaro, Town of Colma council member, started the conversation by presenting the need to continue and expand special programming for the Libraries such as Lion Dance performances, reptile van visits and other programs that draw young and old alike to the libraries for learning, entertainment and community experiences. Michael Guingona, newly elected San Mateo Community College District trustee and former mayor and council member for Daly City, followed Helen by highlighting the importance and convenience of expanding eBook subscriptions for the Daly City Library. He emphasized that the current eBook titles often have waitlists of over 30 days before becoming available for check out – highlighting both the extreme popularity of this resource and also the need to expand the number of available titles. Felicia Leong, CEO of the Daly City/Colma Chamber of Commerce, closed out the pitches by describing the need for a new Reading Rug and Furniture for the John Daly Library branch. These would be placed in the children’s area of the library and replace items that have been well-used for over 15 years. Monica Devincenzi “sweetened the pot” by letting supporters know that a special drawing for a new set of Apple Airpods would be held among the donors for the project that raised the most funds. If you missed the event or forgot to donate while there, you can still do so from the DCPLA website at www.dcpla.org, CLICK on the "Donate Now" button to be directed to the page where you can specify your donation.
Victoria Magbilang called out the raffle prize winners drawing from tickets that were sold at the beginning of the event. Winners walked away with bottles of wine, Irish-Themed Goodie Baskets and Ms. Licavoli left with a brand new 50” LED Television!
It was a fun time had by all and great to be back together in person enjoying each other’s smiles. Bob McLennan culminated the lunch with encouragement to take the energy and joy from this event and share it with a friend. Teresa Proaño closed out the time by singing “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” encouraging attendees to join in together on the chorus. Until next year!!
