The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) is excited to announce it has successfully reached its $100,000 fundraising goal for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program dedicated to fostering early childhood literacy by providing free, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five.
“This milestone reflects the generosity of our community, the trust they have in our library, and the value they place on nurturing a love of reading in our youngest neighbors,” said ACPL Executive Director Susan P. Baier. “With these funds, the library will be able to launch the Imagination Library program in the coming months, ensuring that children will begin receiving books in their homes even sooner than we’d hoped.”
With this funding in place, the ACPL is on track to accomplish one of its goals from its 2024-28 Strategic Plan “Allen County’s Window to Lifelong Learning and Discovery” in the first year of the plan. That goal aims to celebrate reading and learning by increasing focus on early literacy. This includes an action item dedicated to “exploring partnerships and offering support to increase in-home access to books, including…Imagination Library.”
“We are so pleased to be able to move quickly on this strategic project thanks to the generosity of our community and driven by the hard work of our Foundation and staff,” said Baier. “It means we will reach more children, more quickly, and at the most critical time to get books in their hands. Those early years are when we can really have an impact on their vocabulary, comprehension, and their love of learning. When children love books – there is no limit to what they can accomplish!”
The funds were raised from a combination of sources including donations from individuals, family foundations, social and civic organizations, businesses, library employees, and members of the Friends of the Library. The ACPL Foundation also stirred fundraising during the middle of the campaign with a generous $25,000 match from its own funds. A $5,000 gift from the employees at the Meijer on Dupont Rd. presented on October 14 pushed the campaign well over its goal.
In the weeks to come, the Library’s leadership will work with the Imagination Library of Indiana to facilitate training and establish the processes to launch the program. Until then, interested parents/caregivers can join the waitlist at www.imaginationlibrary.com and they will be notified with the program launches.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has distributed millions of books to children around the world, helping to create a foundation for literacy and a lifelong love of reading. In Allen County, the program already has a list of more than 1500 children awaiting the program. Upon launch, Allen County will join the other 87 Indiana counties who already host the program.
The $100,000 campaign will be matched by funding from Governor Eric Holcomb’s Next Level Agenda and will fund the first two years of the program. The program requires continued support and the community is invited to make donations at acpl.info/imaginationlibrary or by visiting any ACPL branch.
About the Allen County Public Library
The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) has fostered lifelong learning and discovery in northeast Indiana for more than 125 years. The ACPL consists of fourteen branches throughout Allen County, serving more than one million visitors per year. The ACPL’s collection includes more than 2.7 million items, with a circulation total of 4.2 million items borrowed annually. It also houses The Genealogy Center, the nation’s largest public genealogy research center, and The Rolland Center for Lincoln Research, consisting of more than 30,000 artifacts related to President Abraham Lincoln.
About the ACPL Foundation
The ACPL Foundation is a separate legal entity formed for the purpose of enhancing and expanding library programs and services. Its primary function is to secure financial and in-kind donations for programs, services, and capital projects. The ACPL Foundation offers donors a familiar and reliable vehicle for tax-deductible contributions in support of the Allen County Public Library.
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
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, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, 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 Program Partners. The Imagination Library mails more than 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More®.
The program has been widely researched and results demonstrate the positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
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