Finding Joy in Giving to Others Through the Library

Physician, educator, FHCL board president, reader and lifelong learner, Rosa Marroquin has a special affinity for libraries.

Through long evenings of study in college, as a mother encouraging her son to chase his curiosities and as a budding doctor preparing for the board exams, Rosa has found libraries to be a nurturing setting for the many chapters of her life.

Rosa’s commitment to enriching the library system is a no-brainer. “Literacy is so important to me, to my upbringing, to my culture, to how we can bring ourselves out of poverty.”

For Rosa, education has been a doorway to financial security and opportunities, and the library’s free resources have played a big part in that. These values now fuel her work as a library friend. “There must be meaning in where I put my time and my finances. There must be something that resonates with what’s important to me,” Rosa said.

Giving is a wonderfully generative and fulfilling act for Rosa. “I think I’ve always thought of myself as someone who wants to share the goodness of life. Sharing resonates with me in my DNA.”

In that generous spirit, her life is peppered with stories of community and togetherness. She encourages others to get involved with their library in whatever capacity they imagine. “As a library patron, you can envision how to support this wonderful library system that continues to give to others. There’s so much that we need to do. And we have so much more power together.”

To explore how you can join Rosa in helping others through Friends of the Hennepin County Library, contact Kristi Pearson at 612-986-6086 or kpearson@hclib.org.