The Sugar Grove Public Library Foundation is extremely pleased to report that a donation was received from Rich Harvest Farms to provide new technology for the Library’s computer lab and teen department. The donation, valued at approximately $19,000 will provide for new computers, monitors, and additional hardware and software elements needed to bring the Lab up to date.
The Rich Family provided the initial funding for the technology lab in honor of the late Janice Katherine Rich, an aspiring teacher and lover of culture and education. The lab officially opened with the Library in 2009 as the Janice Katherine Rich Technology Learning Center and dedicated to community learning.
After 12 years of service, the lab is was in critical need of refurbishment. The Sugar Grove Public Library is historically underfunded, with few dollars available for improvements, capital improvements, and upgrades. As the Rich family learned of the Library’s ongoing challenges, representatives visited the Library for a tour and received information on costs, needs, and what upgrades would benefit the community. Within short order, a donation check arrived at the Foundation as the Rich family desired to see the Lab continuing to be a valuable resource for the community.
The new equipment is set to arrive shortly, and will be promoted to the community. A complete set of computers is expected for the adult and teen departments, with upgrades to software and hardware designed to serve today’s needs.
More information on the Foundation may be obtained on the Library’s website at www.sgpl.org/foundation or by sending E-mail to Alicia Shatterman, president of the Foundation at aschatteman@gmail.com. You may contact the Library director, Shannon Halikias at shannon@sgpl.org.
Jerry Rich, Chairman of the Board of Rich Harvest Farms and Founder of the Kids Golf Foundation of Illinois. Rich is the architect and owner of Rich Harvest Farms, a golf course that is consistently ranked in Golf Digest’s “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses.” He graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1961 with a degree in mathematics and earth science. After graduation, he went to work at Rich Inc., his father’s company. In the 1970s, he created the way Wall Street trading is still done today with the development of the integrated trading terminal. Jerry is most proud of the Kids Golf Foundation of Illinois, a non-profit junior golf organization housed at Rich Harvest Farms, which he founded with lifelong friend Don Springer in 1998. Since its inception, the Foundation has introduced 250,000 kids to the sport of golf. Aside from the Kids Golf Foundation, Jerry has hosted over 50 amateur, collegiate, and professional tournaments during the past 20 years, including the 2009 Solheim Cup, the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships, and the 2021 Arnold Palmer Cup.
— Sugar Grove Public Library Foundation