As a high school honor student and athlete, Steven Riley has a full schedule. The 18-year-old parishioner at Christ the King Church in Little Rock plays basketball, baseball and golf for his school, Pulaski Academy, in addition to holding a part-time job.
But as busy as he may be, Riley has made time to raise money for a place he remembers fondly — the Robert E. Smith branch of the New Orleans Public Library.
A graduate of Christ the King School, Riley has lived in Little Rock since 2001. But before coming to Arkansas, his family lived in the New Orleans area.
When he was in elementary school, Riley visited the Smith library many times, particularly for the summer reading program he did each year.
“I attribute a lot of my success in school to these programs,” he said.
Riley got the idea to help his old library while visiting family in New Orleans last summer. The Smith branch in the Lakeview neighborhood was one of eight public libraries in New Orleans that were too damaged by post-Katrina flooding to be reopened. It is currently slated to be demolished and rebuilt this year, according to the New Orleans Public Library System Web site.
“There is still a lot of devastation,” Riley said.
It was not his first trip to post-Katrina New Orleans. Both of Riley’s parents are from New Orleans, and almost all of his extended family lived there. The flooding affected several family members, who relocated or had to repair their homes.
“We went back about three months after the hurricane. Places I was familiar with were completely destroyed. Half the city looked like a ghost town. It impacted our family a lot,” he said. “My great-aunt lost her house completely.”
The most recent visit inspired Riley to research the status of the New Orleans libraries and to contact the New Orleans Public Library Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the city’s library system. He learned the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation were providing interim libraries (bookmobiles and temporary locations), but funds were still needed to replace the lost and damaged collections.
“I felt like of all the different places that needed aid, libraries were one place help was lacking,” he said.
Last fall he started Bucks for Books, a fundraising effort for the Smith branch. He wanted to concentrate on rebuilding the library’s collection of books, DVDs and CDs.
When he started his effort, his goal was to raise $5,000 for the library foundation’s Rebuild program. “But even a thousand dollars would help,” he said.
“His fundraising would go a long way to help rebuild collections, especially at certain locations like the Robert Smith branch,” said Michael Indest Jr., office manager for the New Orleans Public Library Foundation. “That amount of discretionary funding for that location would be very significant.”
“Having the purchasing capacity to buy exactly what (the libraries) need gives them the ability to meet the community’s needs. His work in getting donations will allow us to help the libraries serve their communities,” Indest said.
In October Riley mailed solicitation letters to approximately 60 people. This first batch of letters went to family, friends and families in the Christ the King and Pulaski Academy communities.
As time permitted he added people to his list. “I’ve mailed about 100 by now,” he said.
“Being a senior, juggling three sports and a part-time job at UAMS, it’s been hard. I’ve had to try to decide what to do first,” he said. “I’ve had to get permission from the principal to miss things to do foundation stuff.”
So far Riley has raised more than $3,500 and continues to receive donations. He has received a range of responses, from $25 and $100 donations to one $1,000 donation from a family at his school.
He also planned and held a smoothie sale fundraiser at his school in November. He and his mother recruited help from Brenda and Darryl Westberry, the franchisee of a local Smoothie King and fellow member of a local group of former New Orleans residents. Their business donated everything but the cups.
“Since we are from New Orleans, we felt connected to this and decided to help,” Brenda Westberry said.
Riley had to get permission for the sale from his principal, set a date, advertise the sale and run the sale.
“I was nervous before the fundraiser,” Riley said. “I wasn’t sure if all the work would have been in vain” if the smoothies didn’t sell.
In an hour and a half Riley sold all 200 smoothies and made approximately $1,000.
In addition to the solicitation letters and smoothie sale, Riley received donations from his school’s French Club, which does a Mardi Gras-themed bake sale every year. This year the group donated profits to Bucks for Books.
In the fall Riley will leave Little Rock to start college, so he plans to go to New Orleans and present the funds “once solicitations stop coming in,” he said. “But I don’t want to cut myself off completely (from this project).”
“Hopefully when I become a successful businessman, I will know to give back in areas that helped me become successful,” he said.
To contribute to Riley’s effort, mail checks payable to New Orleans Public Library Foundation to Steven Riley, 36 Bellegarde Drive, Little Rock, AR 72223.
