Longtime Supporter Extends His Giving
Henry V. Heuser, Jr. is a veteran supporter of the Louisville Free Public Library and has ensured his support will continue long-term by including the library in his estate planning.
And why is that so important to him? Henry, a businessman who comes from a family of inventors and entrepreneurs, views library financial support as an investment.
Henry believes the library is a shining star and marvelous community resource because private donations dramatically enhance services. Even though it is a public agency and gets a slice of city government funds, it must have private support in order to meet community needs.
After a dozen years on the Library Foundation board and decades as a donor, he can quickly tick off a long list of library projects sustained by private contributions:
- The children's Summer Reading program
- Public-access computers
- CDs, DVDs and specialized databases
- Thousands of new books
- Renovation of the Main Library
- Improvements to the historic Shawnee branch
- Construction of a new Fairdale branch building
- The upcoming regional library in Southwest Louisville
- A wide range of programs that engage adults
- Scholarships for library staff
For potential donors who wonder about the changing role of libraries, Henry says, "Go into any branch. See all the programs going on and see people lined up to use the library computers, people who can't afford to have a computer or Internet service at home."
Henry is frank about the value of having acted now to ensure that his estate will continue to support the library when he no longer can.
"Cave Hill Cemetery is filled with unfinished business," he says. He hopes that other people will be equally motivated to ensure that their commitment to the library "will be forever-and-ever taken care of."