Help Dolly Help Kids
Michele Coppola
50plus Magazine
YOU PROBABLY KNOW THAT IN ADDITION to being a musical genius and beloved icon, Dolly Parton is a powerhouse philanthropist. In her home state of Tennessee, she’s helped build a hospital, created scholarships for students and teachers, funded wildfire relief, and more.
Nationally, she’s donated countless performances for various causes, and even ponied up $1 million to help develop a COVID vaccine.
But the thing she’s most proud of? That would be the Imagination Library, a program she founded in 1995 to supply free books to preschool kids in her hometown. The project was inspired by her father, who Dolly describes as “the smartest man I have ever known”— and who was also illiterate.
Today, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) is worldwide, delivering free books monthly to children ages 0-5 in all 50 states as well as the UK, Canada and Australia, regardless of family income.
In Oregon, more than 40,000 children receive DPIL books each month. This is thanks to partnerships between DPIL and education districts, library systems, service clubs and nonprofits such as the Marion-Polk Early Learning Hub (MP Hub), which serves the Salem-Keizer area.
While DPIL covers all costs of administration, postage and labor, local partners must assist with some funding to purchase the books at a substantial discount.
Margie Lowe, fiscal and performance officer for the MP Hub, says the value of DPIL is immeasurable for the 1,145 children receiving books in her service area.
“We know from past studies in our community that in low-income neighborhoods, many families had zero books in the home,” she explains. “And struggling readers don’t realize the importance of printed material in helping them navigate their world.”
From there, it’s a domino effect. Because reading is a cornerstone of learning, living in a “book desert” makes it less likely a child will be successful in school. That translates to lower graduation rates, which in turn limits opportunities for these children as adults.
As of now, the MP Hub only has funding to provide DPIL books to five zip codes, so children outside those zip codes cannot be served.
This is an issue throughout Oregon, where support for DPIL is spotty. The solution is for the state to provide blanket funding for DPIL so every preschool child, regardless of location, is served. This has happened in Washington and California. It could happen here, too, if lawmakers pass House Bill 2872, which is currently working its way through the state legislature.
According to Margie, providing statewide funding would be a real win for Oregon’s kids and the state, as the program is so easy and cost-effective to implement.
“It’s very turnkey. You sign up, and as long as you stay at your address, your child will receive a free book in the mailbox every month. It truly is the best deal around when it comes to literacy.”
WANT TO HELP? HERE’S HOW:
- Register your child or grandchild under five to receive free books from the Imagination Library! Be advised that not all areas are served. While most areas in Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties have program funding, several do not. Check your child’s eligibility here: imaginationlibrary.com
- Contact Oregon lawmakers and share your support for HB 2872 so that every child in every Oregon zip code has access. Find your representative here: gov.oregonlive.com/legislators/
- If you live in Marion or Polk County and belong to a service club such as Rotary, encourage fundraisers to bring DPIL to all the kids in your county through the MP Hub: parentinghub.org