The Imagination Library helps youngsters build a library before kindergarten

The Orrville Area United Way is helping children develop a sizable library of books by the time they begin kindergarten. The Imagination Library, through the Orrville Area United Way, distributes more than 800 books each month to children from birth to age 5 in the Eastern Wayne County region the organization serves.

“We’re able to do it in partnership with the Dollywood Foundation,” said Helen Meyers, executive director of the Orrville Area United Way. “It is the brainchild of Dolly Parton and is a national program. When she was a child, her family was quite poor. Her mother would make books for her to read, and when she became successful, this was a way to give back to kids and encourage them to read.”

The partnership has been building book distribution to school districts in Orrville, Marshallville, Sterling, Apple Creek, Kidron and North Lawrence since 2009. “The books are mailed each month from the Dollywood Foundation, and we provide registration, processing and troubleshooting at the local level,”

Meyers said.

The program is not cheap and relies on fundraising and cooperation with area libraries to get the word out about the program. “It costs between $1,500 and $1,600 each month for the Imagination Library program,” Meyers said. “The books are free to participating families. There is no intake process, and it’s open to anyone within the limitations of the school districts and ZIP codes we serve. We do have to turn applicants down, unfortunately.”

By the time a child in the program reaches kindergarten age, they will have built a library of 60 books. “The last book they receive is something focused on what lies ahead and what kindergarten will be like,” Meyers said.

The Imagination Library distributes books in the Unites States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and the Republic of Ireland. The program has mailed nearly 120 million books to 1.4 million children.

Parton explained the origins of the Imagination Library. “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. 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.”

“Area libraries, well, the community as a whole has been very supportive of the program,” Meyers said. “Aultman Orrville Hospital helps us get information to new parents so we can get newborns signed up. Teachers like that; it encourages child and family literacy and gets people reading.”

Meyers said she feels strongly about the need for getting books into the hands of children early on. “When you read to and with a child, it is the single-most impactful thing you can do to ensure that child’s future success in school. And when kids in this program start school, they’ve already built a small library of their own. We have been delighted with Imagination Library from the beginning. It’s a really wonderful program and one of the greatest things we’re able to do.”

Further information about Imagination Library is available at www.imaginationlibrary.com or call the Orrville Area United Way at 330-683-8181 or visit www.orrvilleareaunitedway.org.