Foundation Stories

written by Lisa Larson-Bunnell, JCL Foundation Board Member

Library Lets Loose is one of my favorite events of the year. It’s a night where we can have fun and support the Library system that we all love. And supporting our libraries is more important than ever. 

Theme and Dress

The theme for this year is Top Secret: An Evening of Espionage. Yes, a “spy” theme!  Who wants to be James Bond for the evening, or Julia Child? I would love for you to join me in dressing to theme. I can’t wait see what you have planned!

Dancing, Food, Drinks and Other Classified Information

DJ Stann will be with us once again, playing a lot of great music for dancing. We will have 15 local restaurants with bite sized samples including Betty Rae’s Ice Cream, Korma Sutra, Weiner Kitchen, Whole Harvest Kitchen, and many more. J. Rieger & Co. is making our ‘Let Loose Juice’. And, shout out to Jay Sanders with Wild Child (Shawnee) who is making a fun non-alcoholic mixed drink.

Raffle for Experience Prizes

Raffle tickets are $100 each. They can be purchased before or during the event. You don’t need to be present to win. No clandestine operations here. Prizes this year include a 4-night stay at the Hyatt in Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic, join KCUR’s Steve Kraske for a taping of his morning radio show and lunch, tour the Johnson County Sherriff’s Crime Lab, and much more. Check out our website for prizes being added daily.

Secret Mission

Every guest has the opportunity to be a Secret Agent for the night. Your mission, should you choose to accept it: apprehend the crime syndicate who wants to get rid of the Dewey Decimal System. They must be brought to justice for all library lovers. The reward will be a chance to win a secret mission prize. As always, should you get caught, we will disavow any knowledge of your actions and your library card will be permanently revoked.

Volunteers and Leadership — Spies are not made, they are Bourne

A BIG thank you to everyone who has made this event a success. Starting with Anne and Bill Blessing who are the Honorary Hosts. Co-Chairs of the event are Sarah Page and Anjali Pandya. Sarah is a local realtor who loves to read. Anjali is a Library Foundation board member who has a killer British accent. Thank you to everyone on the Library Lets Loose Committee, the Library Foundation Board, DJ Stann, and Julie Steiner, Board President.

Library Lets Loose
Saturday, September 21^st
6:30 PM – 10:00 PM

at the Central Resource Library
9875 W. 87^th St. Overland Park, KS 66212

Tickets are on sale now! We do expect this event to sell out this year, so purchase your tickets early.

written by Shelley O’Brien, Executive Director of the Johnson County Library Foundation

There are very few leaders in the Kansas City area who have had such a positive influence on our community as Bert Berkley. We want to take a moment to tell you about how Bert and his family have impacted the Johnson County Library.

Please take a moment to read his obituary which lists the amazing accomplishments of one man. Bert passed away in mid-July at 101 years young.

In the 1990s, in the early days of the Johnson County Library Foundation, Joan and Bert were encouraging and asked their friends and peers to donate to the Library’s fundraising campaigns. It was one of the boosts the Foundation needed to start an endowment and to support library programming with private funds.

After Joan passed away, Bert continued her legacy by establishing the Joan Berkley Writer’s Fund at the Library Foundation. This fund has assisted local writers by offering programming to further their creativity, including the Library’s Writer’s Conference.  This annual gathering engages hundreds every year in person and online. It continues to be free and open to the public thanks to the generosity of the Berkley family and friends. In 2023, the Writer’s Conference created their annual journal and anthology to highlight Bert’s love of fly fishing by using “fishing” as an artistic prompt.

On behalf of everyone at the Johnson County Library – patrons, staff, volunteers, donors – we thank Joan and Bert, and the entire Berkley family, for their love of lifelong learning and public service. Your dedication to the Johnson County Library is one of the reasons our library system is one of the best in the country.