United Way of Northeast Mississippi is encouraging Mississippians to honor the legacy and impact of Dolly Parton by supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Operated locally through United Way of Northeast Mississippi’s Early Childhood Coalition, the program provides children from birth to age 5 with high-quality books free each month. The program aims to promote literacy in children and encourage a love of reading by giving kids books to add to their home libraries.
“One of the focuses is very much on childhood literacy, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was a perfect fit for what we were trying to do in all of the avenues that we were trying to increase the education ecosystem for our early childhood students and their families,” President of United Way of Northeast Mississippi Patti Parker said on Good Things with Rebecca Turner. “It was a fantastic partnership.”
Across eight counties in northeast Mississippi, nearly 113,000 books have been mailed to children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. While the books are free for the children who receive them, it is only made possible through community support and donations to United Way.
“There is a cost involved and that is what we handle on our end, with the help of our community donations,” Parker said. “It’s $25 a year and that provides one child with a year full of books. So, $25 for a year of books for a child is a fantastic deal.”
Anyone wishing to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library can make a donation here, and should include “IL” in the memo line to ensure the money goes to the Imagination Library.
READ MORE: Mississippi venue where Dolly Parton last performed mourns country icon
“Dolly’s vision has touched the lives of so many children and families in our community,” Parker said. “Through the Imagination Library, her legacy continues to inspire a love of reading and create opportunities for children to learn and grow. We hope our community will join us in honoring her by helping ensure that even more children can experience the gift of receiving a book of their own each month.”
Parton passed away Tuesday at the age of 80.