Alexandria Library Foundation Author Presentation and Reception

Join us for the First Annual Alexandria Library Foundation Author Presentation and Reception on Thursday, September 21st. Senator Mark Warner serves as Honorary Chair for this event. The Author Event not only marks the anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and the homecoming of our POWs from Southeast Asia, it also raises funds for needed materials and programs at Our Library.

Register Online to Attend!

The presentation will be emceed by Councilman John Taylor Chapman and spotlight authors Taylor Baldwin Kiland (long-time Alexandrian and former Naval officer) and Judy Silverstein Gray (Coast Guard veteran and former journalist). Their newly published book Unwavering: The Wives Who Fought to Ensure No Man is Left Behind will be the focus of the evening, with a panel discussion led by Kiland featuring co-author Gray, POW wives from the book, and the first American aviator taken captive in Vietnam:

Andrea Rander of Bethesda, wife of Army Sgt. Don Rander, an intelligence specialist captured during the 1968 Tet Offensive,

Emilee Reynolds, also of Bethesda, whose then fiancé, Air Force Capt. Jon Reynolds, was shot down and taken prisoner three weeks before their wedding.

The Hon. Everett Alvarez, Jr., also of Bethesda, who was captured during the Tonkin Gulf Incident in 1964. He was held captive for eight and a half years, enduring one of the longest periods of captivity in U.S. military history. He later served as a political appointee for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, William Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

"Military families serve their country too,” Kiland reminds us. “Spouses and kids must endure long separations, knowing their loved ones are in harm's way. They endure frequent moves and must repeatedly find new homes, new neighborhoods, and new schools. Outside of school, how does a military family get integrated into a new community? The local library! It can provide a warm, safe, and welcoming place to read and learn. And that library can also be the place where a military family new to town makes lasting friendships -- old and young -- and finds those community connections not made anywhere else." 

Tickets for the event are $100 each and include seating for the author presentation, a complimentary copy of the featured book, and a reception with hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

We hope you will join us for this important event.

For additional information, please contact Michele Stork at 703-212-8129 or mstork@alexlibraryva.org.

Learn More About Sponsoring this Event

Interested in helping the Alexandria Library Foundation in our mission to support the Alexandria Library where all are welcome to learn, create, and connect? Become a sponsor of our First Annual Author Event and give back to the community while gaining access to perks like VIP seating and library-wide recognition. Learn more about sponsorship levels and their benefits at the link below.

2023 Author Reception Sponsorship Levels & Benefits

PRESS RELEASE: The Alexandria Library Foundation Hosts First Annual Author Event and Reception to Raise Needed Library Funds

Unwavering: The Wives Who Fought to Ensure No Man is Left Behind

In the 1960s, most women were denied credit cards, car loans, and mortgages without a spouse or father to co-sign. Military wives had greater restrictions. When a late-night knock on the door by a military chaplain brought dreaded news, "Your husband is missing in action," they were warned to keep quiet.

When some of America’s military men were captured or went missing during the Vietnam War, a small group of military wives became their champions. Never had families taken on diplomatic roles during wartime, nor had the fate of our POWs and missing men been a nationwide concern. In cinematic detail, authors Taylor Baldwin Kiland and Judy Silverstein Gray delve directly into the political maneuvering the women navigated, onto the international stage they shared with world leaders, and through the landmark legacy they created.

Several of the people featured in the book lived in Alexandria, including Carol McCain (first wife of Senator John McCain) and Candi Parish Ellis. Parish was living in Alexandria with her three-week-old son when her husband, Chuck Parish, was listed as MIA after his plane crashed.

About the Authors

The Alexandria Library Foundation is excited to have the opportunity to host author Taylor Baldwin Kiland and Judy Silverstein Gray.

A former naval officer—the third generation in her family to serve in the Navy, Taylor was raised in Coronado, California, and Alexandria, Virginia. She now lives in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband and their daughter. Taylor has written, co-authored, ghost-written, or edited 18 books, including three about our nation’s Vietnam POWs. Taylor’s work has been featured in NewYorkTimes.com, WashingtonPost.com, NBC Nightly News, CNN, C-SPAN, International Herald Tribune, Associated Press, military.com, and Naval Institute’s Proceedings, just to name a few.

Judy Silverstein Gray has written numerous military profiles and feature articles about women leaders for news outlets including The Tampa Tribune, published six books for young readers -- five on military topics -- and her work appears in two literary anthologies. She has served as a public information officer in both the private and non-profit sectors, and currently teaches public-health communication to graduate students. The third generation of her family to serve in the military, Judy is a retired Coast Guard chief petty officer who has had a front row seat to historic events through her public affairs work. She lives with her husband in Tampa, Florida.

Our Sponsors

This author presentation is made possible thanks to the generosity of our sponsors.

Silver Sponsor

Literary Sponsors

Military Sponsors

Advocate Sponsor

Friend

Alexandria Hyundai

Commonwealth Academy

Lindsay Volvo Cars of Alexandria

Wills & Bequests

Leave a legacy of learning and connecting by remembering The Alexandria Library Foundation in your will. Making a gift through your will is one of the easiest ways to make certain libraries remain an essential part of our community now and in the future. We accept bequests, gifts of stock, life insurance, and retirement assets. You can give a percentage, specific amount, or remainder of your estate in your will.

By naming the Alexandria Library Foundation as the beneficiary of an IRA or other retirement account, you help further our mission while avoiding significant income or estate taxes for your heirs.

Please provide your estate planner with the following information.

Legal Name: Alexandria Library Foundation
Mailing Address: 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22304
EIN/tax ID number: 54-1875224

If you’d like to speak to someone about planned giving options, please contact Michele Stork at 703-212-8129 or mstork@alexlibraryva.org.  If you have already included the Alexandria Library Foundation in your estate plans, we hope you will let us know by emailing Michele at mstork@alexlibraryva.org so we can thank you and learn how you’d like to be recognized.

Appreciated Stock

Qualify for an income tax charitable deduction and avoid paying taxes on appreciated value.

How It Works

1. You transfer appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual fund shares you have owned for more than one year to the Alexandria Library Foundation.
2. The Alexandria Library Foundation sells your securities and uses the proceeds for our programs.

Benefits

1. You receive an immediate income tax deduction for the fair market value of the securities on the date of transfer (even if you originally paid much less for them).
2. You pay no capital gains tax on the transfer when the stock is sold.
3. Giving appreciated stock can be more beneficial than giving cash. The cost of your gift is often less than the deduction you gain by making it.

Upon your verification of transfer, please send an email to Michele Stork at mstork@alexlibraryva.org with the following:

1. The name, mailing address, email address, and phone number of the donor;
2. The name, symbol, and number of shares of the stock transferred; and
3. The actual date of transfer.

We will determine valuation based on an average of the high and low of the stock on the date of transfer, and send a formal letter of acknowledgment to the donor. If you transfer stock before December 31, you can claim the tax deduction on that year’s tax return.

If you’d like to speak to someone about stock donations, please contact Michele Stork at 703-212-8129 or mstork@alexlibraryva.org for instructions.

IRA Distribution

Support Alexandria Library Foundation with a Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA.

What are Qualified Charitable Distributions?

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) are distributions from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) made directly to a qualified nonprofit organization, such as the Alexandria Library foundation, without having the distribution counted as taxable income.

QCDs are also sometimes referred to as IRA Charitable Rollovers. Up to $100,000 in IRA funds can be counted as QCDs annually, or $200,000 for married couples.

Who is eligible to make a QCD?

Anyone above the age of 70 ½ can make a QCD. Once an IRA holder reaches the age of 72, they are required by law to make an annual withdrawal from their assets, which is known as a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).

What are the benefits?

QCDs can reduce your income taxes. Normally, funds that are distributed from a Traditional IRA are includible in your taxable income, which is likely to increase your overall tax burden. In some cases, this additional income may also move you into a higher tax bracket.

However, QCDs are an exception to this rule—funds go directly from your IRA to your chosen charitable organization without going to you first, thereby lowering your adjusted gross income and effectively reducing your income taxes.

QCDs can satisfy Required Minimum Distributions. Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are amounts that you must withdraw annually from your Traditional IRA once you reach 72 years of age. If you do not withdraw your RMD, you will face a penalty tax of 50% of the required withdrawal amount. QCDs can be used to meet this RMD requirement and avoid penalties.

QCDs maximize your charitable impact. Because in most cases QCDs do not need to be recognized as income, charitable organizations receive the full amount of the transfer tax-free. It’s a win-win situation that both supports you and the causes you care about.

How can I make a QCD to the Alexandria Library Foundation?

Connect with your IRA custodian to inform them of your intent – your IRA custodian will need to process the QCD and send it directly to Alexandria Library Foundation. Send an email to Michele Stork at mstork@alexlibraryva.org to inform us of your intent to support Alexandria Library Foundation (many retirement providers do not provide donor information to the nonprofit recipient).

Please use our legal name and federal tax ID: Legal name: Alexandria Library Foundation Mailing address: 5005 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22304 EIN/tax ID number: 54-1875224

Already supported the Alexandria Library Foundation through a QCD?

Have you already chosen to support Alexandria Library Foundation through a QCD this year? We’d love to hear from you to allow us to thank you for your gift! Email Michele Stork at mstork@alexlibraryva.org

Do you have a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)? Gifts from a Donor Advised Fund are a wonderful way to support our libraries and ensure they remain well-stocked with books, technology and resources to benefit everyone in our community. If you have or are planning to donate using your DAF, please let us know by sending us the information below.

If you’d like to speak to someone about DAFs, please contact Michele Stork at 703-212-8129 or mstork@alexlibraryva.org. Thank you for supporting our libraries!

• First and Last name
• Email
• Phone number
• Address

Please Note:
Per IRS regulations, funds from a Donor Advised Fund cannot be used to pay for event sponsorships or tickets.

Celebrate and honor loved ones with gifts to the libraries they love. Gifts to honor individuals, or in memory of loved ones, are a wonderful way to strengthen our libraries while commemorating someone special.

To make an online gift in someone’s honor or memory, please click on the button below and make sure to check the box that states “Give in Honor/Memory.”

DONATE

Request a Matching Gift Form from your company and mail or email the completed form to the address below:

Alexandria Library Foundation
5005 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22304

Email: mstork@alexlibraryva.org

Make a gift by electronic funds transfer or wire transfer. Call 703-212-8129 or email mstork@alexlibraryva.org