United Way of Logan County - Dolly
Parton’s Imagination Library Receives Woods Foundation Grant
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[April 04, 2023]
The
Woods Foundation has granted $15,000 to support Dolly Parton’s
Imagination Library in Logan County. This gift is made possible
through the generosity of Robert J. Woods and Joan Jarrett Woods
through the creation of The Woods Foundation.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a program that mails free
books each month to registered children from birth to age five in
participating communities within the United States, United Kingdom,
Canada, Australia and Republic of Ireland. As of November 2022 over
195,000,000 books had been distributed through this program and over
2,200,000 children were registered for the program.
Thanks to generous grants like this, and the support of local
businesses and individuals, the library is available throughout
Logan County and 432 children are currently participating (as of
February 28). The number is growing daily. 3,142 books have been
sent to children’s homes since the program’s inception in July 2020.
Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly started
her Imagination Library in 1995 for the children within her home
county, and it has grown since then. The purpose of this program is
to provide books in the home to encourage a love of books, reading
and learning and positively affect school readiness.
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According to the National
Commission on Reading, “The single most significant factor
influencing a child’s early educational success is an
introduction to books and being read to at home prior to
beginning school.” When books are in the home, children and
parents are more likely to pick them up and read together.
Parents that would like to register
their preschoolers (birth up to age 5) that live in Logan County may
register them online at
www.imaginationlibrary.com or contact the United Way of
Logan County at 217-735-4499 or uwloganil@comcast.net. If you do not
live in Logan County, you can still check availability in your area
at the web site listed above.
The United Way of Logan County sponsors and
administers this program in Logan County, and is grateful for
support like this generous grant which allows growth and
continuation of the program for our youth. Find out more about the
program at
www.uwlogancountyil.org
[Patti Becker
Administrative Director
The United Way of Logan County] |