Thank you to Our Supporters!
The Board of Trustees at the Gibsons & District Library Foundation Society wish to thank everyone who makes our financial contributions to our local Library possible. Thank you to:
- Our members for supporting our mission.
- Our volunteers for stepping up to organize events, raise funds, and host our information tables.
- Our donors for contributing to our funds.
- Community members who have left bequests to the Foundation in their will.
- Local businesses who have supported our fundraising and marketing efforts.
Every one of you is making a difference in your community. We appreciate you.
Jean Mainil
F. Jean Mainil left a bequest to the Foundation in 2004. Later that year she and her husband were recognized at the Library's 90th anniversary:
"[Shawn Cardinall, chair of the library board,] recognized the contributions made by the residents of the Sunshine Coast over the years with particular emphasis on those of Gibsons residents Jules and Jean Mainil.
Jules was one of those behind the establishment of an independent Library Association in 1952 and presided over the construction of several library buildings over the next 30 years.
Jean was a dedicated long-term library board member and volunteer and helped to start the Gibsons Library Foundation, which this year was the recipient of a generous bequest from the Mainil family."
From an article in the Coast Reporter
The photo below is from an article in the Sunshine Coast News, dated June 5, 1989. Jean is the third from the right. The caption below the photo reads:
"The Gibsons Chamber of Commerce honoured its five outstanding Citizens of the Year on Wednesday with a dinner and presentation at Mariner's Restaurant. Gibsons Mayor Diane Strom (centre) holds the commemorative plaque which will hang in the municipal hall bearing the names of (left to right) Rod Moorcroft, Larry Labonte, Jean Mainil, Bernice Chamberlin and Keith Frampton, whose partner in Gibsons Building Supply, Barry Reeves, is also honoured but was unable to attend."
Joe Peters
Joe Cleo Peters left a bequest to the Foundation in 2023.
One of Joe Peters’ passions in life was books. He was a lifelong learner who valued the endless resources available to him at the Library. He also loved people and appreciated that our Library is a lively community hub. These passions were the inspiration behind his generous legacy to the Gibsons & District Library Foundation Society.
Among his many attributes, Joe Peters was a philosopher and a lifelong scholar. He grew up in California and became a Canadian citizen in the early 1970s, earning degrees from four universities along the way. He was a Humanist and dedicated his professional life to social work. He lived in Gibsons the last four decades of his life, where he and his dog (latterly Cosmos) were familiar sights around town or in the beautiful garden Joe lovingly cultivated at home.
Joe valued books. The shelves of his personal library held volumes of philosophy, history, religion, social sciences, political science, and art, as well as the classics of English literature, the occasional popular fiction, and several thick dictionaries. He also loved people and was a kind and empathetic friend to many as well as a fun guy to have at a party.
In making his generous legacy to the Gibsons & District Library Foundation Society, Joe brought his two passions together - his love of learning and his care for humanity. He would be happy to know that his legacy will enable the Gibsons & District Library Foundation Society provide enduring resources that will enhance library services and programs now and into the future.
