Last month marked the fifth anniversary of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library operating within Lewis County, according to a United Way of Lewis County news release.
“This milestone would not have been possible without the generosity and vision of the Lewis County Rotary Foundation, which on November 26, 2019, presented United Way of Lewis County with a $20,000 check to launch this transformative initiative,” the release stated.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is an early literacy program that provides thousands of free, high-quality books to children up to 5 years old regardless of the family’s income.
In the five years it has been operating in Lewis County, the library has provided nearly 138,000 books to 2,598 children enrolled in the program throughout the county.
Each month, registered children receive a new, age-appropriate book in the mail at no cost to their families.
“Five years is a significant milestone for United Way, Rotary and the families who have been served by this program,” Chris Judd, United Way of Lewis County resource development director, said in the release. “Thanks to the incredible support of the Lewis County Rotary Foundation and our community, thousands of children have come to love reading through this program. With 95% of brain growth happening before the age of 5, I couldn’t think of a better investment in the future of our community than by investing in its children.”
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was originally launched by the legendary country singer Dolly Parton in 1995. Since then, it has distributed over 200 million books globally. To learn more, visit https://imaginationlibrary.com/.
For more information on the Lewis County Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, including how to enroll a child, visit the United Way of Lewis County’s website at https://tinyurl.com/4rp8aunt.
