Dolly Parton Imagination Library

Many United Ways around the country sponsor the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program.  To help spread the word, UWRA teamed with United Worldwide and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to host a Webinar Mobilizing Community and Volunteers around Education and the Imagination Library.  DPIL is a unique opportunity to give something simple yet powerful to children and parents.

 

The Webinar addressed ways to Give, Advocate, Volunteer through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) - LIVE UNITED – see below for ideas that were listed.  While there are multiple strategies involved in implementing a comprehensive early literacy and language program – books are a great place to start!  

 

“United Way has been a wonderful partner simply because Dolly’s Imagination Library is at its best when it is part of a continuum of programs and companion efforts in early childhood - certainly it can do many things on its own, by itself, but we do know that its at its best and its seems to be at best with these companion programs when those programs are operated and managed or funded by United Way.”   David Dotson, Executive Director Dollywood Foundation  

 

If you want to support Imagination Library in your community:

• Visit the DPIL Website and donate to your community affiliate (or make a general donation to the program by clicking Here) 

• Read below for ways you can give, advocate & volunteer to help the program 

• Call your local United Way and see how you can help the DPIL program

• Contact Imagination Library staff for help

 

 

The impact of Giving to Imagination Library. 

• $30 for books & mailing to 1 child for 1 year.

• $150 to build 1 child’s library over 5 years.

• $1,500 to build home libraries for 10 children.

• $15,000 to help 100 children get books for 5 years.

 

Ways to Advocate to Launch or Expand Imagination Library

• Advocate for your local United Way to sponsor Imagination Library if it is not currently doing so. 

• Advocate for your civic organization to sponsor Imagination Library each year. Rotary and Kiwanis are strong supporters.

• Advocate for your employer to sponsor or subsidize enrollment for children of employees who are parents or grandparents.

• Advocate with your postmaster to ensure that undeliverable books are held until they can be picked up and re-distributed.

• Advocate for matching funding from local or state government.  

 

Ways to Volunteer to Help Implement or Enhance the Program from the comfort of your home?

• Work with the existing Imagination Library affiliate to enter children’s registration information into an online database.

• Update the registration database each month; contact families and when possible collect email addresses so parenting materials can be sent electronically.

• Call friends and family and ask them to sponsor a child’s registration.

• Call child care providers and ask them to offer registration for children in their program

• Email Born Learning parenting tips and resources to parents of children enrolled in Imagination Library

 

• Provide Imagination Library enrollment forms to new parents or grandparents – through your neighborhood, faith and civic networks.

• Keep libraries and workplaces stocked with Imagination Library enrollment forms and parenting resources.

• Coordinate a monthly Lunch and Learn Series for parents of young children, with parenting/literacy experts as speakers.  Pass the hat for pocket change to support Imagination Library in your community.

• Ask your faith community, company or civic organization to support the Annual Reading Day.

• Volunteer to go to the post office once a month to pick up undeliverable books.

• Take undeliverable books to programs that reach children who need them – homeless shelters, child care centers, health clinics…

• Volunteer to be a reading buddy for a preschool classroom, child care center or library – and send Imagination Library forms home with the kids.

• Help plan and implement an Imagination Library kick off event or an annual reading event to raise awareness and funding.

• Ask friends & to sponsor a child’s registration for your birthday

• Call any child care providers you know & ask them to offer registration for children in their program