Get to know Gina

Gina and her youngest granddaughter Jordan

We sat down with Friend’s President Gina Saracco to learn more about her role and why she loves giving back to the Ledding Library.

How long have you been volunteering with the Friends?

I think it's been since 2012, after I retired. When I went looking at the Pond House for used books, Mary Carol was the manager. We chatted a bit, and I said to her, “I'm a retired English teacher... working here seems like a dream job!" And she replied, "Great! I've got a job for you!"

So that was my start with the Friends. I worked there for a while before I began restocking the Pond House from the donations that came in. Later, I started doing some computer work in the back room at the library and sorting donated books there on Tuesday mornings.

Tell me a little bit about what you enjoy doing in your free time.

I love reading, of course, and gardening. My husband, Dan, and I enjoy traveling. My favorite travel destination so far is Italy. It's historic and charming and so very different from the United States, which makes it very interesting and exciting to me. I hope to return before too long to a town where my grandparents lived before they emigrated to the US in the early 1900s, a town called Ricigliano.

Gina and her husband, Dan, sightseeing in Mexico

I also enjoy our four grandchildren. Dan and I visit our two granddaughters, Eva and Julia, in Seattle one weekend a month. Our grandson, Jayden, 14, and baby granddaughter, Jordan (who just turned one) live in Milwaukie, so I've been doing some babysitting during the week for the last year. I feel very busy for a retiree, but very blessed, as well.

Can you tell me about your role as president of the Friends?

Well, it came as a surprise. I was asked by some of the volunteers if I would do it. This year is such a year of transition and change! And I've had so much to learn. Of course, we have the issue of not having a permanent library this year, so book donations needed to be relocated.

With the Plant Sale and Annual Book Sale, there wasn't a great deal for me to do. The Plant Sale's change in location had already been secured. I tried to make sure the supervisors of those sales had what they needed. Kathleen (Kramer) does a fantastic job organizing that yearlong project.

The same was true with the book sale. Supervisors (Carol Kay, Elaine Blauvelt, Anne Carroll and Cheryl Fisher) worked their magic to make that sale happen.

The Book Booth at the Sunday Market has been more challenging. We've recruited new volunteer leads for this project and changed locations from the City Hall fire bay to the Market itself, and now we're in the City Hall driveway. But it's smoothing out now. We're getting a pretty solid routine.

Finally, we've recruited a new Newsletter editor, Rebeccah Bufford, and a new Membership Chair, Sarah House, both of whom are technologically savvy, personable and great assets to our Friends family. I should mention what a huge help Elysa Foxman has been to me in securing these two.

I'm learning as I go in this position, and I depend on all of the above mentioned people to do my job.

Gina with some of her family at her husband Dan’s 70th birthday party

What are you most excited about when it comes to the Friends?

Oh, I’m excited about the exuberance of the people. I love that they are dedicated to making money for the library and, of course, I love being able to raise money for the library because there are programs that happen because we can donate money.

It’s also the amount of interaction with the community that a lot of people probably don’t realize, and what all the Friends give to the library. When they don’t quite have the budget for something, we’re able to do that with the Friends money.

What do you think readers might be surprised to learn about the Friends?

I think what surprised me the most was how dedicated our volunteers are. With the Plant Sale, for example, that’s months and months of growing plants and then going in and digging plants out of their backyards and they’re willing to do that for this cause. And I think that’s surprising to me.

The people are the best, and that’s why you should want to get involved with the Friends. We’re a great group of people. These are good people. They love libraries. I mean those are, you know, genuine, down-to-earth people who love libraries and love to read. They’re smart people. And it’s such a good cause!