President's Message

December 3, 2024

Signing off as President

After 14 years as President of the Friends of the La Mesa Library, I am happy to announce that our organization has found a new leader. At our annual general membership meeting on September 28th, Melony Watson stepped forward to take on the role of President. She joins Robin Theilmann (Vice President), Christine Ly (Secretary), Leslie Stump (Publicity), Justin Walker (Membership), and me (Treasurer) as your new board. We now have a vibrant younger group that will continue to look for ways to improve and promote library services to our city.

I want to thank Bob Thatcher who served as Treasurer, Joyce Richter who handled Membership, and the dedicated Bookstore volunteers. I appreciate so much the members of the La Mesa community. You helped the Friends raise funds to support the library with materials, programs, and improvements. You also helped us keep alive the dream of a larger, better library for La Mesa. The City of La Mesa recently expressed a willingness to look for ways to provide more space for our library that would allow the library to have a community room for programming, study rooms, and added space for children’s and teen activities.

John Schmitz, Past President

Welcoming a New President

Dear Friends,

My name is Melony Watson, and I am excited to introduce myself as the incoming president of the Friends of the La Mesa Library. I want to thank the Board for being so welcoming and supportive, and especially John Schmitz for 14 years of service as president, and for your guidance during this transition.

I recently moved back to the La Mesa area with my husband (Zack), our son (Bennett), and our two dogs (Zoey and Pete). We were able to instantly connect back to the community through the library. Bennett absolutely loves the La Mesa Library, especially the gears on the back wall and Story Time!

I am a teaching professional with over a decade of experience in education, passionate about literacy and the joy that comes from fostering a lifelong love of learning. Books have always been a significant part of my life; if someone were to describe me, my love for reading would definitely come up. And possibly my piles, upon piles, of books…

The Friends of the La Mesa Library have accomplished so much in their over 50 years of service to the community, and I’m honored to be part of such a meaningful organization. I’m excited to work alongside such passionate members, supporting the library as it adapts to new challenges while staying rooted in its mission is incredibly important to me. I look forward to contributing to that effort as our community grows and evolves.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me. I’m truly excited about the opportunity to contribute to the Friends of the La Mesa Library and to work with such a dedicated group. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or ideas. I want to extend a special thanks to the Board, John, and all the members for their warm welcome. I’m looking forward to what we can accomplish together in the future.

With Much Appreciation, Melony Watson