Thank You Alec Baldwin and Capital One
Alec Baldwin is just the man.
The East Hampton Library has just announced the donation of $250,000 from the Alec Baldwin Foundation to support the construction of the Library’s new Children’s Wing.
Baldwin’s donation comes from the money he makes as spokesman for the Capital One Bank’s Venture Rewards credit card advertising campaign for. He has earmarked all of the proceeds from the promotion to the funding of arts and cultural organizations.
You probably know those commercials, as they are very popular. They star Baldwin walking through New York City, attending various cultural events and saying hello to many different characters in Manhattan, including a horse named Buttercup.
And this isn’t the first time that $250,000 has found it’s way to a Hamptons organization. In fact, it is the THIRD time.
In May, Baldwin donated $250,000 to Guild Hall in East Hampton. Baldwin stated in a press release, “My partnership with Capital One serves as a platform to generate awareness about the need for arts funding. Government funding has been significantly reduced and I think that is bad for arts education and America’s cultural heritage. Guild Hall serves the community throughout the year by providing inspiring performances, films, readings and exhibitions, along with arts education in schools and other activities that are needed.”
He also donated $250,000 to the Hamptons International Film Festival, where he sits on the Board of Directors, and has been a big supporter of the festival ever since it started.
East Hampton Library officials are thrilled about the donation. Baldwin has been an active supporter of the Library, and serves as Honorary Co-Chair of the East Hampton Library’s Children’s Addition Committee and is the Co-Founding Chair of the library’s popular annual Authors Night fundraising event.
The new Children’s Wing will be designed by celebrated architect Robert A.M. Stern and will add more than 2,000 square feet to the existing Children’s Room, allowing for the addition of 10,000 more children’s books, new computers, seating and other age-appropriate improvements. The new addition will also allow for the installation of a second elevator, making the entire library handicapped accessible, and will also include 16 new parking spaces. Construction will begin this spring, with an anticipated completion date of late spring 2013.
This is the second donation from Baldwin for the Children’s Wing. He previously donated $25,000 to the East Hampton Library for the funding of the new addition in spring 2010. Baldwin announced his intentions to provide the additional $250,000 donation to Tom Twomey, Chairman of the East Hampton Library’s Board of Managers, at the library’s August 13 Authors Night event.
If these Capital One commercials keep doing well for Alec Baldwin, then surely there may be even more money on its way to other important cultural institutions in the Hamptons. [expand]
Bay Street anyone?
Keep watching those televisions!