The Greenbrier County Public Library announces Allen and Paula Carson as honorary co-chairs for the 2014 General Operating Fund Drive Campaign.
As ardent community supporters, the Carsons understand the importance of a public library. Paula taught school for 27 years and often took classes on field trips to the Greenbrier County Public Library when it was housed on Courtney Drive.
“I remember being in that older building with our kids all the time,” Allen said. Their 16-year-old daughter Clare, now taking a mythology class, got a head start on the subject borrowing Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series at the library.
Now, their 8-year-old granddaughter regularly visits the new building at 152 Robert W. McCormick Drive. “She borrows books all the time,” Paula said.
“This place is such an asset,” Allen said, noting that the Greenbrier County Public Library is the third most visited facility/event in the area, just behind the Greenbrier Classic at The Greenbrier resort and the State Fair of West Virginia.
As chairman of the Hollowell Foundation, Allen says, “I see the needs. Funding is a major issue. It’s tough to come up with the operating capital.”
Allen also is a member of the board for First National Bank and an advisory board member of Greenbrier Valley Theatre. He is CEO of Greenbrier Medical Arts Pharmacy and vice president of Greenbrier Technologies. He served two terms as a member of the Board of Education. Paula is on the board of the Children’s Home Society and Community in Schools. They are former licensed foster parents. Both are active as members of Lewisburg United Methodist Church.
“We’re just supporters of the community,” Allen said, adding, “Libraries are an important part of every community.”
Donations designated for the Operating Fund may be sent to Greenbrier County Public Library, 152 Robert W. McCormick Drive, Lewisburg, WV 24901. More information about the fund drive or library services is available by calling 647-7568.