The Friends of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County sponsored a 5k Color Run as part of the Summer Reading Program. The group’s president, Robyn Hill, stated its volunteers advocate for and sponsor many of the library’s programs, services and collections. Friends of the Library Week begins today and runs through Sunday. The Friends of PLSJ was established in 2023 and is 102 members strong, meeting at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month at the Schiappa Library. The group’s next meeting will be Wednesday. Anyone interested in joining, serving on the board or volunteering for events is welcome to attend. This year, sponsored events included the used book sale bringing in more than 1,000 guests in May, organized a tour of St. Paul’s Church and held a Makerspace Night to highlight the equipment offered. The group of dedicated volunteers continuously donates money raised from special events to enhance and supplement library services, including candy for trunk-or-treat events, parades, food for guinea pigs and turtles housed at the library, prizes for the back-to-school events and reading programs, colorblind glasses and museum passes for the Library of Things. In addition to Hill, those serving on the board include Kerry Mirabella, vice president; Carol Evans, secretary; Matt Gallabrese, treasurer; and Christine Holt, Daniel Holloway, Nancy Ronevich, Sandy Grimm and John Shaw.

— Contributed