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Westfield library’s STEM lab honors Annie Gotwald
The Gotwald family, from left, Annie, Greg, Lindsay and Samantha. (Photo courtesy of Gotwald family)

Westfield library’s STEM lab honors Annie Gotwald

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By on Westfield Community

A state-of-the-art makerspace and STEM lab at the new Westfield Washington Public Library will be dedicated to Annie Gotwald, a 9-year-old Westfield girl who died Feb. 1, 2024, following an illness.

The Westfield Library Foundation will dedicate the space in honor of Annie during a ceremony Aug. 3 at the library, the day before what would have been her 10th birthday.

Annie Gotwald
Annie Gotwald during a visit to Washington, D.C., in 2023. (Photo courtesy of Gotwald family)

The Annie Gotwald Makerspace and STEM Lab will offer drop-in projects, individual STEM activities and scheduled classes. Annie’s parents said the third-grader loved science and math and dreamed of one day becoming a NASA engineer.

“Annie was going into kindergarten when the pandemic hit,” her father Greg Gotwald stated. “(Her teacher) put together activities and experiments for kids to do during that time and something just clicked in her. Annie was obsessed with outer space and planets from that point on.”

After her death Annie’s family set up a GoFundMe page, hoping to collect funds to create opportunities for other children to pursue careers in STEM. The fundraiser collected $216,715, well above its goal of $175,000.

The Westfield Washington Public Library will receive the first major gift from that fund.

“We were just floored by the support the community provided us after Annie’s passing,” stated Annie’s mom, Lindsay Gotwald. “We wanted to pass that generosity along by investing in STEM education that was accessible to everyone in Westfield. She would have loved this new space. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect opportunity to build her legacy.”

Erin Downey, executive director of the Westfield Library Foundation, stated that the foundation is honored to dedicate the Makerspace and STEM Lab in Annie’s name.

“This generous contribution will enable us to offer exceptional STEM resources and programming to the community, fostering a love for learning and innovation in our young residents — especially young girls like Annie,” Downey stated.

The dedication ceremony takes place at 11 a.m. Aug. 3 at the library, 17400 Westfield Blvd. Learn more about children’s programming and events at wpl.lib.in.us/services/children.

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