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Friends of Libraries and LiteracyRio Rancho, Sandoval County, New Mexico |
Friends of Libraries and Literacy, Rio Rancho, Inc. is an all-volunteer, non-denominational, public 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity incorporated in 1982.
The Friends support libraries and fund literacy programs for children, teens and adults in Sandoval County, New Mexico using money raised through the sale of community-donated books and media at FriendShop (Rio Rancho NM) and books at FriendShop Too! (Upper floor of the Martha Liebert Public Library in Bernalillo NM).
If you have a young child (or grand-child) who lives in Sandoval County, sign them up for Dolly Parton Imagination Library. This program mails a free, age-appropriate book directly to the child every month until their fifth birthday.
All costs are shared between Dollywood Foundation, the Friends and the State of New Mexico. There is absolutely no cost to the family. You will never be asked to buy anything. The child's information is protected under the strict European Privacy Laws.
Sign up at FriendShop when you are shopping or go to the Imagination Library website to sign up your child.
Reach Out and Read is a national program to provide free books to early readers. The Friends and Presbyterian Pediatrics in Rio Rancho, share the cost of providing a free, age-appropriate book at each well-child visit until age 5.
This is a win-win program: caregivers like it because it's easier to get children to the visit for their free book and clinicians like it because it reduces cancelations. Using books and shared reading supports caregivers in fostering early literacy and healthy relationships with infants and young children.
The only literacy model endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Reach Out and Read is expected to provide 3,500 books in Rio Rancho annually and serves 4.8 million children across every U.S. state.
In our fiscal year 2026 (July 2025 to June 2026), the Friends gave school grants totalling $16,295. These grants went to teachers in 18 different schools, from preschools to high school.
Several programs are highlighted below. In addition to books, we funded book trucks, games and puzzles, supported school-wide and in-classroom libraries, art materials and puppets.
For the third year, the Friends awarded scholarships to graduating high-school seniors who had supported their school library or volunteered at the FriendShop. The scholarships can be used for any continuing education: apprenticeship, job training, military service, community college or university.
The scholars were selected by their school librarians: three from Rio Rancho High, three from Cleveland High, two from Bernalillo High and one volunteer at the FriendShop.
The scholarship were presented to the Rio Rancho scholars at the FriendShop with their families joining them.
RioTECH high school is a skilled trades center operated by Rio Rancho Public Schools and CNM. Students take core classes plus CNM classes. However, CNM classes don't meet every day.
The Friends awarded a grant to RioTECH to purchase educational, problem-solving, content-specific games and puzzles as an alternative to phone time.
Rio Rancho schools have many students who are eager readers but whose families are unable to purchase books from the Scholastic Book Fair. Providing equitable access to books is essential to building lifelong readers, supporting literacy development, and fostering a love of learning.
Grants from the Friends to ten schools created “Book Fair Bucks” for identified students in need, allowing them to select their own books during the fair. This funding ensured that every child — regardless of financial circumstances — can experience the excitement of choosing a new book to take home and keep. And no more tears because they can't get a book.
Early in December, the Friends sponsored Otilio Ruiz, a famous harpist from Vera Cruz, Mexico at the Martha Liebert Public Library in Bernalillo. Ruiz performed a full program of world Christmas music for everyone to sing along to.
As a special treat, there was Christmas Story Time with Mrs. Claus. Refreshments were served and the program was a enjoyed for children young and old alike! (In case you were wondering, that's not a real fireplace in the Library; just a big illustration.)
The winner of the drawing for the quilt donated by Thimbleweeds and done in fall colors was Shirley. She was buying books at the FriendShop when the winning ticket was drawn and got to take the quilt home to enjoy with her books.
The Friends sponsored Songs for a Summer's Night at the Martha Liebert Public Library. Melissa Montoya (soprano), Ronaldo Baca (guitar and oud) and Maria Dickinson (violin) performed to a standing-room only crowd.
Songs by classical composers such as Fernando Sor (1778 - 1839) and contemporary composers such as Lorenzo Palomo (born 1938) were sung in Spanish and Catalan with English translations provided. The trio received a standing ovation.
The Friends are supporting the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at the Martha Liebert Public Library in Bernalillo. The program was started with an American Dream Literacy Grant. The Bernalillo Library is the only public library in the state offering an ESL program for adults.
The Friends sponsored a free-to-the-public performance by Upstart Crows, a group of Shakespearean actors based in Santa Fe who are from 10 to 18 years old. They performed Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream at the Martha Liebert Public Library for an appreciative, standing-room-only audience.
The performance was excellent. Several in the audience said it was better than some professional troupes. Afterwards the cast answered questions from the audience.
Working with Thimbleweeds Quilters, who have generously donated quilts to be raffled at the FriendShop, there was a Friends’ table at the Fiber-arts Fiesta under the pavilion at Haynes Park.
The table showed how the two groups work together to support childhood literacy in Rio Rancho. A poster highlighted the quilt raffles and bookmarks with information about the Friends’ were available.
The winning ticket for the quilt donated by the Thimbleweeds Quilters of Rio Rancho was pulled in a random drawing from 189 entries.
Micheline, a regular FriendShop customer, was the lucky winner. All proceeds from the raffle will be used to support childhood literacy in Rio Rancho.
Friends of Libraries and Literacy presented scholarships to five Rio Rancho high-school seniors at the FriendShop bookstore. The award ceremony was followed by a reception for the students and their families and friends.
The FOLRR Scholarships are awarded to high-school seniors who have been outstanding volunteers or student aides in their school’s library. The scholarships may be used for any type of continuing education or training, including military service, apprenticeships, college and internships. The recipients were selected by their school’s librarian.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library mails a new, free book every month to any child until their fifth birthday. The books are absolutely free to the families because all the costs are shared by the local affiliate (the Friends for Sandoval County), the State of New Mexico and the Dollywood Foundation.
Now every New Mexico ZIP code has an affiliate offering the free books. In recognition of this achievement, Governor Lujan Grisham signed a proclamation making Imagination Library a statewide program. She thanked everyone for working so hard and said that Imagination Library is an important part of the New Mexico "cradle to career" initiative.
After a video message from Dolly and the formal signing, children were invited to join the Governor to look at books from Imagination Library and have a cookie.
You can signup your child (or grandchild) at the FriendShop when you are shopping for children, teen and adult books or go to Imagination Library to sign up.
Fairwinds, a senior-living community in Rio Rancho, selects a nonprofit to sponsor each year. This year they selected the Friends!
Through a combination individual donations, challenges and raffles they collected $6,950 to donated to the Friends. The entire amount will be used to buy materials for our Books for Babies bags.
These bags, offered free to new mothers at several sites around Sandoval County, have baby books, child-development information and an invitation to enroll the baby in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Each year the Friends give scholarships to graduating seniors who supported their high-school library. The students are selected by their school librarian.
This year, seven students where selected. Five were able to attend a presentation ceremony at the FriendShop for them, their families and friends.
By reading to babies and toddlers, parents help their child develop language skills that start them on the path to success in reading and learning. The Friends and the national Books for Babies program help new parents by starting a book-rich environment at home.
New mothers at Presbyterian Rust Medical Center; Sandoval Women, Infants and Children; Dar La Luz; Care Net; New Life and La Luz are offered a bag that includes board books, brochures with reading tips, a form to enroll the child for free books in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and early childhood development information. The bags are available in both English and Spanish.
The bag contains
Local author Dr. Benjamin B. White read from his earlier books of poetry and his most recent book Always Ready: Poems from a Life in the Coast Guard to an appreciative audience at the FriendShop.
When a bad shoulder cut short a baseball career and after an enlistment in the U.S. Army, Ben became an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. (Its motto "Semper Paratus" translates to "Always Ready") Now, after 22 years in the Coast Guard, he reveals what he learned along the way.
Retired from uniformed service, Ben teaches human resources, business administration, and college success courses at CNM. Ben's poetry is full of keen observations, humor, mischief and tragedy.
SKI BOAT
I worked for a guy
I would work for
Anytime, anywhere …
And he told me
It was possible
To ski behind
A 44-foot Motor Lifeboat
Though he stopped short
Before telling me
How he knew that.
© 2022, Benjamin B. White
After the reading, Ben answered questions about his creative process and signed books.
In the second Famous Author talk at the Martha Liebert Public Library, poet, folklorist, historian and author Nasario Garcia spoke about growing up spending summers with his maternal grandmother in Bernalillo. He also talked about “learning the land” in Guadalupe NM until a devastating drought forced his family to move to Albuquerque.
After the talk, the author answered questions and signed books. The Friends provided funding for this celebration of the poet’s lifetime of achievement so it could be free to the public.
Local mystery writers from the Sisters in Crime writing group had a panel discussion at the FriendShop on the joys and challenges of writing mysteries.
They all agreed that working with publishers was difficult, especially when the publisher’s staff changes, but the most difficult and frustrating was publicizing their books.
Some Sisters approach a new book by carefully outlining the plot but others write the first 100 pages and then start an outline to “figure out where it’s going”. All the authors agreed that today’s books must be faster paced to meet the expectations of TV, movie and online audiences.
Lone Piñon, who have performed at Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress, delighted a standing-room-only crowd at the Martha Liebert Public Library in Bernalillo.
Starting with the classical influences from the French Court of Maximilian II in the mid 1500s, the acoustic conjunto of Karina (fiddle), Jordan (multiple including accordion), Tanya (bass) and Santiago (guitar) took the audience on a Nuevomexicano musical journey.
They moved on to the changes in music brought by the opening of the Santa Fe Trail in 1822; by “Border Blaster” Radio in the 1930s; by Rhythm and Blues in the 1950s; and by Mariachi in the 1990s.
At the end, they received a standing ovation from an audience that just wanted more!
The Friends provided funding to bring the community into the library for this free-to-the-public performance.
Sponsored by the Friends, the High Desert Pipes and Drums gave a rousing performance of traditional Scottish tunes. The only American group to win a first prize at a Scottish bagpipe competition, the members also answered questions about playing the bagpipes and the history of bagpipes in Scotland.
After the performance, the audience was invited to the grand opening of FriendShop Too! bookstore which is just down the hall from the performance rooms on the upper floor of the Martha Liebert Public Library in Bernalillo.
FriendShop Too! has paperback and hardback fiction for adults, teens and children. There is also a non-fiction section with history, cookbooks, home & garden, biography and more. Most adult and teen books are $2 or $3 and children’s books start at 25¢.
FriendShop Too! is on the upper floor of the Martha Liebert Public Library. Purchases are cash only.
The Thimbleweeds Quilt Group of Rio Rancho donated a quilt that was raffled at the FriendShop and drew 204 entries. The money from the raffle, along with matching funds from the Friends, allowed the Colinas del Norte Elementary School in Rio Rancho to purchase new books and give one to each child at the Winter Wonderland celebration.
In addition to the new book, each family received a coupon for a free children’s book of their choosing at the FriendShop. An estimated 300 children attended.
Abrazos Family Support Services provides services to children from new-born to 3 years old who have a developmental disability/delay or are at-risk of either. Abrazos therapists use books to help children improve their speaking skills, listening skills, and develop a foundation for literacy.
Abrazos was recently approved to provide ABA Therapy to children diagnosed with autism-spectrum disorder. Enterprise Holding Company and the Friends worked together to fund the purchase of over 200 books to be used for their Autism Therapy and Early Intervention Therapy Programs.
The Friends sponsored the first annual Famous Author Celebration featuring children and young-adult author Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. Her talk was on Literacy and Freedom at the Martha Libert Public Library.
Vaunda spoke about the importance of bookstores in a community and how they can make literacy relevant to their community. A book signing and refreshments were available after her talk.
Opera Unlimited came to the Martha Liebert Public Library to introduce school-age children to music and opera. The performance, funded by the Friends, was enjoyed by everyone.
ReadWest, Inc. is a non-profit adult literacy agency providing one-to-one tutoring sessions by trained, certified volunteers. Their adult computer literacy classes are very popular but class size is limited by the number of available computers since each student needs one.
The Friends provided funding to ReadWest to buy three more laptops so they could expand this program.
Shining Stars Preschool had a summer-reading program for 3 and 4 year olds. Each week the children studied a different author. At the end of each week, each child took home a free book by that author.
The take-home books were purchased with funds from the Friends and were a big hit.
The winning ticket for the quilt donated by the Thimbleweeds Quilt Group of Rio Rancho was pulled in a random drawing from 204 entries.
Nona, a long-time volunteer who works at the FriendShop bookstore, had the winning ticket.
A total of $346 was collected and will be used to support childhood literacy.
Little Free Library is a global nonprofit organization with a mission to build community, inspire readers, and expand book access. Friends' volunteers support five Little Free Libraries at Shining Stars Preschool.
They are refilled once or twice a week throughout the year with free books that have been donated to the Friends.