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Over 200 Signed Up So Far Here
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is growing in the Rockbridge area, and a second promotional event will be held in Buena Vista this weekend.
The event at the Buena Vista Public Library will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday will be for those who want to sign up or learn more about the program. Crafts and a free book will be provided for children who attend.
The Imagination Library, which sends a free book every month to children between 0 and 5 years old, is sponsored locally by New Providence Presbyterian Church.
According to the Imagination Library’s website, “In 1995, Dolly Parton launched an exciting new effort, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, to benefit the children of her home county in East Tennessee, USA. Dolly’s vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families.
“By mailing high quality, age appropriate books directly to their homes, Dolly wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income,” it reads.
According to Marsha Goodfriend of New Providence, around 225 children have signed up since the program was launched in Rockbridge in March.
She explained that books are chosen to support children throughout the 0 to 5 age range.
“These books are selected by literacy experts and they’re really targeted to try to inspire children’s imaginations,” she said.
“They’re completely ageappropriate for the child, and an example of that is that the very youngest children might receive books like board books with great images and rhymes,” Goodfriend explained.
“Children at the upper end getting ready to go to kindergarten might receive a book that is thematically trying to prepare them for starting school, with topics like addresses their feeling, like anxiety, or things like gratitude.”
While the program was designed for children, Goodfriend spoke about the benefit for parents and families as well.
“This program not only inspires a love of reading in children, but it also helps to strengthen families,” she said.
“Because having a book there and having a child wanting to read the book is going to motivate the parent to sit down and read to them, which research shows is a way to prepare children for literacy skills starting in kindergarten,” she said.
The Imagination Library’s services are particularly helpful for those who may not have easy access to public libraries, as Kelsee Green, whose daughter participates, attested.
“We are so excited for our daughter to have the opportunity to receive books from the Imagination Library. It is a wonderful way for children nationwide to have constant access to reading material, especially in the rural communities,” said Green.
“I think that it’s an important program for rural communities, which is where Dolly Parton started the program, in her rural Tennessee county,” Goodfriend explained.
“How hard is it for working parents to get out and go to the library, dive 15 miles, to get books for their children? That takes a real commitment from a working parent, to do that in a rural area,” she said.
New Providence received a donation which will allow the church to pick up the $2.20 charge for each book, including shipping, and there will be no cost for families to participate in the program.
Goodfriend said that she hopes to see the program continue to spread in the Rockbridge area.
“I checked the U.S. Census Bureau website and they estimate there are 1,440 children ages 0-5 in Rockbridge County, Lexington and Buena Vista,” she said.
“With just 225 so far, we have a lot more children to reach,” said Goodfriend. “We hope we can double our current number of registrations by the end of this year.”
Families can sign up for this program by searching imaginationlibarary. com/check-availability/, and entering a zip code. If this address is within the coverage area, you will be taken to an online signup form.
Registration is also available on newprovidencepresbyterianchurch. org under the New Providence Imagination Library tab, or by calling the New Providence Presbyterian Church office at (540) 348-5881.
