Fraser Lions to host spaghetti dinner to benefit library

FRASER — People who love to read, enjoy movies and music or who simply like to support their community can grab their utensils and join the Fraser Lions Club for a spaghetti dinner fundraiser benefiting the Fraser Public Library.

The library has had a difficult year after having to temporarily relocate to a new location, 15260 15 Mile Road and 15240 15 Mile Road, after a vehicle crashed through the walls of its main building in May. The accident inspired the Lions Club members to offer a hand during this challenging time.

“I had met with the library … so I did learn a lot about the car accident and their financial issues,” said Laura Murphy, the hall manager for the Fraser Lions Club. “The Lions Club does service projects throughout the year, so we thought it would be a good cause to support in the community. We hope to raise money so they can upgrade some technology and boost their programs.”

“I had reached out to the Lions for the cookies and questions event we did for the Fraser community where the board could answer questions from the public and discuss the current situation of the library since the accident,” added Fatima Syed, the library’s marketing and development coordinator. “The Lions had heard about the crash and wanted to do something to help the library. They suggested the spaghetti dinner fundraiser. It’s been in the works for a little while.”

The dinner will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27, at the Fraser Lions Club, 34540 Utica Road. The cost will be $15 per adult and $10 per child younger than 12.

“Dinner will be served with spaghetti, bread and salad,” said Murphy. “The library is bringing raffle baskets. They are doing a 50/50 raffle, too. There will be a cash bar. Some people will stand up and thank everyone for coming out and to share a little bit of information about the library.”

Syed said it will be a great chance for people to come back to the library and see how many programs and resources are still available since the crash.

“It’s also a good chance to get an update on the work on the library building and repair process,” she said. “With the library being at its smaller temporary location, the Friends of the Fraser Library haven’t been able to use our space for events like the book sale and the October Harvest Festival. The Friends of the Fraser Library will do the raffles at the event. … This will help us make up for the financial support we haven’t been able to get. It’s nice to see how the community has come together to support the library.”

Specifically, the funds from the spaghetti dinner will support library programming.

“With our limited space, we’ve been seeing how we can still offer everything to the residents of Fraser,” said Syed. “We have been able to provide a lot, but we are trying to make up for the things we can’t still do by having alternate programming and work with other vendors who might have been out of our budget before, such as the puppet show we’re doing this month on Oct. 28.”

Murphy hopes the public will come out to show their support since libraries play such a vital role in communities.

“It’s a great cause. Having a public library is essential, so I hope people attend and show their support,” she said. “Public libraries, where would we be without them? I went to the public library and my child went to the public library. People need the library as a resource. Not everyone has reliable internet access or TV service. You never know when you or your family might need something. It’s something the community needs to be there.”

Syed added that, besides everything else, it will be a great time for the Fraser community.

“This is not just to support the library but it’s also a great community event,” she said. “With Fraser being such a close-knit community, you’re bound to run into people you know and it’s a nice way to build connections. I hope people will chip in and support their community, whether through the Lions, the library or the Friends. The food will be great, and it will just be a good event for people to spend their Friday night.”