United Way of McLean County (UWMC) and Women United, are pleased to announce the introduction and launching of a Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL) for families in McLean County. This nationally renowned program will provide one book a month to McLean County children from birth to age five with engaging, high-quality books, delivered directly to their home, at no cost to families.
Thanks to a generous investment from Corn Belt Energy and CoBank, Women United, an affinity group of United Way of McLean County, is incredibly excited about helping young families thrive, especially during these challenging times, by prompting parents to gather a child into their laps and read a book together.
“Reading supports early literacy, emotional bonding and opens a child to a world of possibilities, and we are delighted this program will help to inspire a lifelong love of books in children in McLean County each month. Research shows that having even 20 books at home fosters a love of learning and sets children up for success when they start school”, said Laura O’Connor, 2023 WOMEN UNITED Chairwoman.
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation has gifted well over 140 million free books in Australia, Canada, The Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Imagination Library mails more than 1.7 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring them to dream. The impact of the program has been widely researched and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. For more information, please visit https://imaginationlibrary.com/.
