The Dolly Parton Imagination Library program of Christian County will begin its largest campaign fundraiser since the program’s inception six years ago. DeeAnna Sova, Executive Director of HCCPL, stated, “The Imagination Library Program is the foundation of success in education and developing an engaged workforce. This tiered fundraising campaign has been created to ensure the continuation of this important literacy program throughout Christian County.”
The fundraising campaign begins with donations from $25, which provides books for 1 child for 1 year, up to $5000 which would provide books for up to 200 children annually. Mrs. Sova and the Imagination Library team are passionate about this program and shared, “This is an investment in our children, which is an investment in education, and ultimately an investment in our community.”
Dolly Parton was inspired to establish the Imagination Library program in honor of her father, who was very intelligent, but never learned to read. This program is designed to foster a love of reading among children. The program was established in Christian County in December of 2012 and currently provides over 3200 children ages birth to five years with age-appropriate books each month.
Bonnie Lynch and Jeanette Owen, HCCPL Imagination Library Coordinators, say, “Early literacy is the basic foundation for educational success. Children that are introduced to books early are more likely to be life-long readers.” While Dolly Parton coordinates the opportunity to provide the most relevant children’s books, the books are not free. All funding is provided through the Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library from city and county governments, civic organizations, private donations, and United Way. Mrs. Sova explains, “Our goal is to ensure that all families in Christian County with children under 5 are enrolled, but we also must actively work to raise funding in order to continue this important literacy program.”
If you would like to know more about how you or your organization can support Imagination Library, please contact the Hopkinsville Christian County Public Library at 270-887-4262 or DeeAnna Sova (director@hccpl.org), Bonnie Lynch (Bonnie@hccpl.org) or Jeanette Owen (Jeanette@hccpl.org) for additional information.
