CPH Friends not only provides financial support to the library, we also offer additional ways to bring the community together! Some of the ways we do this throughout the year include:
Two Towns-One Book Community Read
For nearly 15 years, CPH Friends has brought the library’s two communities, Clifton Park and Halfmoon, together around one book each year. Nominations and final selection for the annual read are done with the help of the community. CPH Friends volunteers then plan a slate of programming around the community read over the first six months of the year – ranging from guest talks and cooking demos at the library, to off-site programs like a tour of Schenectady County Community College’s culinary program in 2024.
Travel
CPH Friends organizes local day trips, as well as longer national and international trips, that community members can take part in! Last month, the Friends visited Van Gogh’s Flowers at New York Botanical Garden and a group just returned from two weeks in Scandinavia. In 2026, CPH Friends will travel to the English countryside in April, and the canyons of the American West next fall. Day trips are added throughout the year, so stay tuned through emails and social media! See the Travel web page for more information.
Battle of the Books
CPH Friends supports the annual Battle of the Books for both the library teams and the Shenendehowa Elementary School teams, providing funds to buy books for each of the teams of fourth- and fifth-graders who participate. The library teams are open to anyone who lives in the district, and the Friends are proud to help foster a love of reading among our young patrons.
College Scholarships
Each spring, CPH Friends supports our older students in the area as well, by offering two scholarships to local high school seniors and library graduate students. We’re also proud to support lifelong learning!
We hope to see you at one of our Two Towns-One Book programs or on a trip in 2026. Scholarship information will be announced in the new year.