Vote Early and Often for Fairfield Public Library

Republican or Democrat? Softball field or no softball field? Voting usually comes with so many heated debates, but there's one vote you can make this summer that won't have your uncle taking away your spot at the Thanksgiving Day table.

Through its Refresh Grant, Pepsi is giving away more than $1 million a month to communities and organizations around the country, and Fairfield Public Library is in the running! All you have to do is log onto their Web site or send a text message with your vote supporting Fairfield Public Library's Writers Library project.

The Writer's Library will be a partnership between the library and the fundraising group, Friends of the Fairfield Public Library. The program will enable more opportunities to meet award-winning authors, provide workshops and use specialized resources.

Here's what Fairfield Public Library is planning...

* One Writers' Room with books and other resource materials, iPads in a comfortable setting, with chairs and tables to work together, discuss and gather;

* Eight Writers Workshops offered fall, winter and spring and podcasted;

* One Writers Conference in Dec. 2010 - sessions podcasted;

* One digital publication - an anthology of writers' works to be published via an online publisher;

* Writer-in-residence to mentor writers over six months weekly and with time to work on his or her own work.

Here's how the $25,000 will be used:

* $ 2,000 for table and chairs in the Writers Room;

* $ 1,500 for two iPads in the Writers Room;

* $ 6,000 for two Smartboards and one panel;

* $ 2,000 for eight $250 honoraria for workshop leaders;

* $750 for the publication of a digital book;

* $5,000 for speakers' honoraria for writers conference;

* $ 1,000 contest prize;

* $ 750 for three $250 honoraria for contest judges;

* $6,000 for writer-in-residence honorarium for six months.

The Pepsi Refresh Project is offering a series of grants in the amount of $5,000, $25,000, $50,000, and $250,000. Fairfield is in the $25,000 category and is competing against a variety of organizations across the country, all with varying objectives.

The top 10 ideas will receive the grants. The current top 10 include helping kids with serious illnesses, enabling a high school band to travel to New York City for the Thanksgiving Day Parade, building a mountain bike trail, educating children and veterans about healthy eating and nutrition, and even providing stylish clothing for a sustainable future.

Voting runs until Aug. 31, and you can vote as often as you'd like.

Here's what you need to do:

From your computer: www.refresheverything.com/thewriterslibrary#

From your mobile phone: Text 101189 to Pepsi (73774)

Standard text messaging rates apply.

Spread the word and help Fairfield Public Library!