March 1, 2024—Joe Neff Basore, Jr. and his wife Scarlett of Bella Vista have made a $25,000 gift to the Berryville Library Building Project. The Basore family has deep roots in the community. Neff’s father, Joe Neff Basore, was a Berryville native, and the family has supported many worthwhile community projects, including the Carroll County Historical Museum, the Berryville Community Center, the Berryville School right-of way project, and more. In fact, the location of the new library is on Basore Street, which was named many years ago to honor the Basore family for their many contributions to Berryville.

According to Joe Scott, library building committee chairperson, “The Basore family has a long history in this community and to have Neff and his wife support the community where his father was raised is touching!”   

 “We were thrilled to learn of this latest gift to the Berryville Library Building Project, and from all of the Friends of the Berryville Library, board, and staff, we want to thank Neff and Scarlett Basore from the bottom of our hearts for helping to move us one step closer to being able to break ground on the building we have all been dreaming about for so long. The new building will have so much more space for educational resources and programming to serve the needs of generations to come,” stated Julie Hall, Library Director. 

Neff requested that the contribution be applied to educational services for the children of the community and the library will use it for the Teen Computer Bank.  He went on to say that in addition to the Basore family having over a century of roots in the Berryville community that “I’d like to recognize Scarlett as the true educator in the family.  Her commitment to education and years of teaching have always inspired me.  We are pleased to participate in this endeavor and look forward to the fundraising goals being met.  The new library looks like a wonderful facility, which is long overdue.”

The current library is housed in a single 3,000-square-foot room and is literally bursting at the seams. The facility is crowded and can be noisy at times, especially when children’s activities are in session.  Books, programming supplies, and materials are stored from floor to ceiling. 

For more information about the Berryville Library Building Project and a glimpse at the plans for the new building, visit berryvillelibrary.org/building.

Anyone interested in supporting the Berryville Library Building Project can contact Kristy Noble-Tesch at (870) 654-6565 or contact the library at 104 Spring Street in Berryville.  The Friends of the Berryville Library, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization and all gifts and pledges made to the building fund are tax deductible.  Gifts of $1,000 and up will be recognized on a donor wall.

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Photo:  L to R-  Joe Neff Basore, Jr., shown presenting a check for $25,000 to Berryville Library Director Julie Hall.