Falls Church Library Receives $250,000 Bequest from Longtime Patron

PHOTO of library courtesy of City via Facebook

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The Mary Riley Styles Public Library in the City of Falls Church, Virginia, recently received a generous bequest of $250,000 from longtime patron Mary Prior Hassan. The gift was given to the Mary Riley Styles Public Library Foundation Trust, a non-profit organization that raises funds to benefit the library.

Hassan was a resident of Greenspring Village in Springfield at the time of her death on Feb. 16 at age 78. Born in England, she was a resident of Arlington and a nurse in Arlington Hospital’s post-anesthesia unit for 38 years.

“We are honored that Mrs. Hassan chose our library to be part of her lasting legacy,” said Donald Camp of the Foundation Trust. “We are grateful for her commitment which will sustain and strengthen the library for future generations.”

“Mrs. Hassan was a familiar face at the library and she will be missed,” said Mary McMahon, Library Director. “Her generosity speaks highly of her character and love of the pursuit of knowledge.”

The Foundation has been building an endowment fund for years and plans to add most of this generous contribution to the endowment fund.

ABOUT THE MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION TRUST
The Mary Riley Styles Public Library Foundation Trust is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to raise funds to support the Mary Riley Styles Public Library in the City of Falls Church, Virginia.

For the past several years the Foundation has used funds raised to build the endowment and to provide direct support for the library’s collections and programs. The Foundation’s support of the library is intended to be supplemental, and not in place of, regular city and state taxpayer support. The Foundation is run entirely by citizen volunteers; last year only four percent of the funds it raised were used to pay administrative expenses.

Gifts to the Foundation Trust can be earmarked for virtually any library purpose. Gifts that go to the endowment allow individuals to leave a legacy for future generations. The endowment fund is a long-term solution that is intended to provide support for the Mary Riley Styles Public Library in perpetuity by providing income annually for the library’s current needs while preserving and growing the principal in the hopes of increasing the income payout year after year.

To learn more about contributing to the library’s Foundation Trust, please visit www.fallschurchva.gov/FoundationTrust.