Courtesy photo
Pam Dudding
Contributing writer
The joy of reading a book seems to be entering homes again and the Craig County Library has been working diligently to bring the infamous Dolly Pardon Imagination Library to Craig and they have finally succeeded.
“Lynda Harrell was really instrumental in getting the program implemented for us,” Letha Hibbitts, director, shared.
Harrell connected with the Dolly Pardon Imagination Library for Virginia and reached out for funds to outlets to handle the rest of the cost, sharing that Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative opened their arms for the project.
Children from birth to age 5 qualify for this free program.
To participate in the program, parents can sign their kids up at the Craig County Library or go to the website at www.imaginationlibrary.com and follow the prompts.
The child will receive their first book in about six weeks and after that, a book a month. At age 5 they “graduate” from the program and receive their graduation book.
Each month, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails a high quality, age-appropriate book to all registered children, addressed to them, at no cost to the child’s family.
“Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for the children within her home county to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families by providing them with the gift of a specially selected book each month,” her website shared. “Today, her program spans five countries and gifts over one million free books each month to children around the world.”
They noted that countless parents have shared how excited their child is when their new book arrives each month and the children in Craig that have already signed up are excitedly awaiting their first book.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library goal is to inspire a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children through funding by Parton herself and partnering with local community businesses.
“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams,” Parton shared. “They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer! The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
Parton is known for an “always-keep-dreaming mindset” and wishes to instill that in kids.
By mailing high quality, age-appropriate books directly to their homes, Parton wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. In creating her Imagination Library, Parton shares that it was important to her to ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.
Today, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library sends more than one million books per month to children around the world “inspiring them to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More.”
“We are so excited to have this available to our community,” Hibbitts shared. “Every child can get a jump on reading and sent straight to their home.”
Those with a child who is 5 or younger can visit the Craig County Library or go online and sign up the child for their free book of the month from Dolly Pardon.
