Paulding United Way celebrating reading initiative

Dolly Parton Imagination Library began in 1995 in Sevier County, Tenn. Dolly grew up in a low income household with an illiterate father. Having seen the struggles her father faced, Dolly made it her life’s mission to ensure that every child had early access to reading. Since the program’s creation in 1995, over 150 million books have been mailed to children across the United States and across the globe to five different countries.

Currently, the United Way of Paulding County has over 630 children actively participating in the collaboration of Ohio Governor Imagination Library and Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Each month each registered child receives a book for free. In 2021 over 7,300 books were distributed in Paulding County and this is in large part because of the Paulding County Area Foundation’s support through their grants.

A longtime supporter, the foundation granted $7,500 to United Way to support the program in 2022. United Way is hopeful to expand the program in 2022 as currently only 45% of the eligible children in Paulding County are registered, according to a press release the organization recently issued.

In 2019 Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the founding of the Ohio Governor Imagination Library which pledged to bring the program to every county in Ohio. Spearheaded by the governor’s wife, Fran DeWine, that mission has now been completed. As part of Gov. DeWine’s new goals, the OGIL has found funding to cover half the cost of the books so that local organizations, such as United Way of Paulding County, can sustain the program in their county.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio mails kids one high-quality, age-appropriate book each month until their fith birthday. All kids in Ohio are eligible to be enrolled in the program at no cost to their family.

“Early childhood education is essential to successful learning in life, and the quicker these children have access to books the faster they begin to learn and comprehend,” stated United Way Executive Director Lora Lyons. “We simply cannot thank the Paulding County Area Foundation for their continued support of this program and the ongoing investment in our children’s future.”

Interested parents can visit https://ohioimaginationlibrary.org/ to register your child. Children newborn to age five are eligible to participate, and it is 100% free, no matter their socioeconomic status.