Local Couple Gifts $3 Million to New Canaan Library; Children’s Room Renamed

New Canaan Library announced Monday that a local couple has donated $3 million toward the organization’s capital campaign.

Michael and Allison Rees. Photo courtesy of New Canaan Library

The library’s Children’s Room has been renamed The Rees Family Children’s Library after Michael and Allison Rees, according to a press release.

Lisa Oldham, executive director of the library, said in a statement, “Michael and Allison’s generosity accompanies an exemplary fidelity to culture and civic life in New Canaan and reflects their sincere desire to make a difference. The Rees Family Children’s Library will forever reflect their exceptional vision.”

The new 42,000-square-foot library opened four months ago, about three years after officials unveiled a dramatic new plan for the organization’s block at the edge of downtown New Canaan. Awash in natural light and featuring the new Jim and Dede Bartlett Auditorium, multiple meeting rooms, an instantly popular café, heavily used teen area and spacious children’s room, the facility replaced an aging facility with a failing, costly physical plant that hadn’t seen a significant renovation in four decades. Demolition on some of the old buildings commenced in April, and the legacy 1913 building is on track to be moved next month to the western edge of the campus as the widely anticipated green overlooking Cherry and Main Streets takes shape this summer. 

Ellen Sullivan Crovatto, CEO of the Campaign for the new New Canaan Library, said in a statement that the Reeses are “engaged New Canaan community members with two young children of their own” who “believe their gift will be an investment in the lives of future generations.”

“After more than a decade of knitting themselves into the fabric of New Canaan, Michael and Allison have made the incredible decision to give back to the community they love by helping to create opportunities for all families to learn and grow,” Sullivan Crovatto said in the statement. “Their unbridled enthusiasm and exceptional commitment signal a new generation of philanthropic leadership in our midst.”

Michael Rees is co-founder and co-president of Blue Owl Capital Inc., a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and of the firm’s Board of Directors. He also serves as the Head of Dyal Capital, a division of Blue Owl, which he founded when it was a division of Neuberger Berman Group. Prior to founding Dyal, he was a founding employee and shareholder of Neuberger Berman Group. Rees received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in Technology Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and on the Board of Directors of The Opportunity Network, an education focused nonprofit that supports underserved students with postsecondary and career readiness education.

Allison Rees is a former sales and marketing executive with Bloomberg L.P. She graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and has been an active volunteer in the New Canaan Schools, the National Charity League, the Opportunity Network and Northwell Health.

The Reeses said in a statement, “We’ve had the privilege of raising two kids in this special community, so it was a natural decision to give back to the children and families of New Canaan. Our new Library is the heartbeat of the town and an inclusive space that will strengthen the community with great programming and opportunities for all generations to learn and interact.”

Donations to the Campaign for the New New Canaan Library are still encouraged. To become a donor, please visit www.newcanaannewlibrary.org or contact Ellen Sullivan Crovatto at 203-594-5025 or ecrovatto@newcanaanlibrary.org.