FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) is honoring Dolly Parton’s 79th birthday on Sunday, January 19 by sharing its current Imagination Library registration successes with the community and calling for continued support of the popular program. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a program dedicated to fostering early childhood literacy by providing free, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five.
ACPL representatives say that since the program’s Allen County launch in November of 2024, the library has signed up 5,373 youth representing more than 20% of the county’s qualified children. According to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library representatives, Allen County enjoyed the highest registration numbers of any affiliate in the country for the month of December. Upon the program’s launch, the ACPL’s set an initial goal to register 5000 children by the end of 2025. By the end of 2024, however, it had already surpassed that goal.
The following was released:
“The community’s response has been an inspiration, not only in fundraising, but now in families signing up their young people for the program,” said ACPL Executive Director Susan P. Baier. “We cannot overstate the impact of the program – those 5000+ young readers now have a statistically higher likelihood of academic, economic, and social success. It is powerful work!”
In honor of Dolly Parton’s 79th birthday on January 19, the ACPL is taking this opportunity to encourage donations to the local program. The program costs approximately $31/per child annually and requires continuous fundraising as more families register.
“We want to keep this momentum going and Dolly’s birthday is a fun way for us to encourage everyone to ‘give a gift in Dolly’s honor’, and celebrate her remarkable legacy of helping children discover the joy of reading,” said Baier.
The community is invited to make donations HERE or by visiting any ACPL branch. The project is funded by community donations led by the ACPL Foundation’s fundraising efforts and currently has raised $142,000. The State of Indiana will match all funds raised, doubling the impact of the program.
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