The 11th Annual Book & Author Luncheon

The Burlingame Library Foundation Board was honored to celebrate its 11th Annual Book and Author Luncheon on April 29th at the Green Hills Country Club. Three esteemed authors, Holly Brown, David Francis, and Vanessa Hua entertained more than 200 guests with their personal stories and insights. The event raised over $75,000, including approximately $5,000 for this year’s Fund-A-Need to support  STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) programs and workshops at the library.

Our authors engaged with the audience as they interwove personal stories with their love of community libraries. Holly Brown spoke about her psychological thriller This Is Not Over, a suspenseful tale set in California.  David Francis took us on an autobiographical journey back to his homeland in rural Australia with Wedding Bush Road, and local columnist Vanessa Hua shared how her personal experiences led to many of the stories (and the clever title) in Deceit and Other Possibilities.

Prior to the main event, we invited Escoffier Society members to enjoy a private pre-luncheon reception with our authors. Members of the Escoffier Society are those individuals or companies who have designated the Burlingame Library Foundation as a beneficiary in their estate plans or other forms of planned giving, or who have made significant lifetime contributions to the Foundation.

We were delighted to offer a shopping boutique this year featuring lovely spring gifts and fashions. Many thanks to Books Inc., Flutter Eyewear, J’Amy Tarr Outerwear, Kimberly Jo-Vogel Designs, Susie O’s Handbags, Toss Designs, The Treasured Accessory, and Yaser Shaw Handcrafted Textiles for generously donating 20% of sales proceeds to the library. Special thanks to the following for their time and/or major donations to the event:  BOS Investments, Putman Subaru, The Sharp Group, Burlingame Properties/Pacific Union, The Studio Shop, McGuire Real Estate, Henry’s Place, Colorprint, NOLA Marketing LLC, Dale Perkins, Rachel’s Cakes, and library employees Ray DeLara and Maryam Refahi. Lastly we would not have been successful without the generous donations in support of our online auction and live raffle from so many of our community members. Thank you to all of you!

The Book & Author Luncheon is our signature annual event. The funds we raise enable the Library Foundation to fulfill its mission of providing financial support to the Burlingame Public Library. Thank you to all who attended and supported this event.