TAHOE DONNER’S MARY ELLEN CLIFFORD WANTS YOU TO LIBRARY UP FOR TRUCKEE!

Tahoe Donner is a uniquely special association with so many of its members devoted to philanthropic work within the greater Truckee community. One such member, Mary Ellen Clifford, is committed to ensuring that the children and young students of Truckee are afforded additional opportunities to learn through improved library services. Serving as the treasurer for Friends of the Truckee Library for the past two years, Clifford has been integral in the organization’s LibraryUP initiative –a campaign to raise awareness and resources to help build a new public library in collaboration with the project’s agency partners.

“When I first heard of the new library project two years ago, I knew immediately that this was a project I wanted to become involved with. I was fortunate to be asked to join the board of the Friends of the Truckee Library, and the time I spend volunteering as treasurer is one of the most engaging and rewarding of my career,” says Clifford.

A Love For Libraries At A Young Age

Clifford’s love of libraries started as a young child. A place of comfort and solace, her time spent immersed in library books helped shape her future. She recollects, “I would sit on a footstool in the stacks reading children’s fiction every afternoon after school until my parents picked me up after work. I was able to help my parents finance my college tuition by working in the campus library filing in the card catalog and covering hardbacks.”

Given her experience, Clifford believes that libraries provide countless opportunities for children and young students to expand their knowledge beyond the parameters of school. Through books and other services offered by public libraries, children learn to appreciate learning new things and see the value in higher education in a supportive setting that encourages them to imagine the possibilities of their own future.

An Investment In The Future

Clifford became a part-time resident of Tahoe Donner in 2001, after many winter seasons of shared ski cabins and the weekend commute from the Bay Area. Since her retirement from Intel Corporation’s Treasury Department in 2008, Clifford has traveled often to her home state of Texas to care for her family and spend time with lifelong friends. But she is proud to call Tahoe Donner home, where she makes the most of her outdoor lifestyle skiing, playing tennis and hiking with fellow members of various TD clubs.

Clifford remains inspired by the vibrant Truckee community that utilizes the current library building and its humble resources. And of the library project, she believes a larger and more modern library facility is an investment into the community that would offer broader opportunities for learning and creative expression for people of all ages and for generations to come. To learn more about the new library project and FOTL’s LibraryUP initiative, visit truckeefol.org

Every year, ski resorts around the country celebrate January as National Safety Awareness Month in partnership with the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) and supported by Ski California®. It benefits everyone to stay safe on the snow; Tahoe Donner is committed to creating an environment that allows skiers and riders of all abilities and ages to shred safely and confidently. On the following pages are important tips and rules to help keep everyone