HCCF Awards Grant to Launch the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Hendricks County
The Hendricks County Community Foundation (HCCF) recently awarded a $25,000 grant to the Imagination Library of Hendricks County Fund to help launch the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Hendricks County. This program provides a free, new book every month to all enrolled children ages 0 – 5 in Hendricks County, delivered right to their door. As the program's fiscal sponsor, HCCF is partnering with all the libraries in the county to manage the finances of the Imagination Library.
Last year the State of Indiana announced a $6 million allocation to match local partners’ contributions in each county to the Imagination Library through its Next Level Agenda. In addition to this funding from the State, the Imagination Library in Hendricks County is also being funded through American Rescue Plan Act Funds (ARPA) and the Brownsburg Library as part of a unified effort to encourage early literacy in our county.
The Brownsburg Public Library Director, Denise Robinson said, “We’re incredibly excited to partner with the State as well as our fiscal partner, the Hendricks County Community Foundation to bring the Imagination Library here. With the help of our partners, we’ll be able to reach over 9,000 children throughout the county and encourage them to read together with their families.”
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 over 250 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and local community and state partners. The Imagination Library mails more than 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes each month. Each child enrolled in the program receives one book per month from birth to age five - at no cost to families. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to "Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More." The program’s impact has been widely researched, and results demonstrate its positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills.
William Rhodehamel, HCCF President & CEO, commented, "We are thrilled to partner with all our county public libraries to bring this important educational program to all young children in Hendricks County. Early childhood education is critical, and research proves that early access to reading is fundamental to student success. Student learning suffered greatly as a result of the pandemic, and nothing is more impactful that putting books in every Hendricks County kids' hand."
Anyone interested in learning more about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library should contact Denise Robinson at 317-852-3167, ext. 100, or visit https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/affiliate/INHENDRICKS/.
