Wallace Foundation Helps Fund Children’s Area in New Wichita Central Library

In the spring of 2016, the Dwane and Velma Wallace Foundation awarded The Wichita Public Library Foundation a grant to help fund the construction of the children’s area in Wichita’s new central library.

“The impact of their gift will be felt for many generations of children and their families,” said Leah Barnhard, executive director of the Wichita Public Library Foundation.

The new world-class central library will be located at 2nd and McLean where construction kicked off in July 2016. Referred to as the Advanced Learning Library, the new central library will be complete with modern technology and impressive features designed to meet the needs of the Wichita community now and into the future.

With the support of the Wallace Foundation, the new children’s pavilion will be more than twice the size of the children’s area in the current central library. Such an increase in space will allow for more family events and school class visits.

The city of Wichita is financing the new $33 million-plus Advanced Learning Library, part of which is being recouped through fundraising by the Wichita Public Library Foundation. The fundraising efforts have included the generous grant awarded by the Wallace Foundation.

The goal is for construction of the Advanced Learning Library to be completed in the spring of 2018 with a grand opening announcement in February 2018. To find out more about the Wichita Public Library Foundation, visit www.SupportWichitaLibraries.org.

Founded by Dwane and Velma Wallace in 1989, the Wallace Foundation’s mission is to support a wide variety of tax-exempt, charitable organizations primarily in the Wichita, Kansas area, and secondarily in the state of Kansas, in the categories of: arts and culture, education, community development and enhancement, social services and needs, and quality of life.

To find out more about the Wallace Foundation’s founders, visit Our Founders page.

– Wichita Public Library Foundation