Imagine free books for kids. Help bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Fresno | Opinion
Dolly Parton wants to encourage kids in Fresno County to read.
So much so that the country music legend and philanthropist is willing to give free, age-appropriate books to every child between the ages of 0 to 5 on a monthly basis regardless of income level. The books are mailed directly to the kids’ homes, addressed to them and come with their names printed on the inside.
What must we do to ensure Parton’s generosity extends locally?
Pretty simple: Raise $170,000 by the end of 2024, the amount remaining from the $400,000 needed to launch Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Fresno County.
“If we want a community that’s thriving, that means kids have to be able to read,” said Cindy Jurado Hernandez, policy and community relations manager for First 5 Fresno County.
Unfortunately, childhood literacy is not a given around these parts.
More than 70,000 kids between 0 and 5 reside in Fresno County. Many grow up in low-income households – 61% of which don’t have any children’s books in their homes, according to national studies.
By the time they get to elementary school, the lack of reading begins to show itself on standardized tests. In 2023, 65% of all Fresno Unified School District third-graders did not read or write at grade level.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is designed to reverse those trends. Since its 1995 inception in Parton’s home county in east Tennessee, the program has spread to all 50 states and five countries while delivering more than 200 million books.
Last year, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library arrived in California with an assist from a state bill that provides dollar-for-dollar matching funds to any local organization that partners with Parton’s.
Those matching funds helped Kern, Tulare and Merced counties launch Imagination Library programs. Fresno officials are eager to follow suit.
“When our children succeed, our city succeeds,” Fresno City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell said. “Providing free monthly books to every child ages 0 to 5 in Fresno County will ensure their educational growth for years to come, while also creating more opportunities for parents to bond with their kids.
“Together, we can provide over 70,000 young children the tools they need to reach their fullest potential.”
$230,000 raised, $170,000 needed
Last week, the Fresno City Council provided 37.5% of the necessary seed money by approving a $150,000 contribution from federal stimulus funding that Maxwell previously set aside. Donations from Producer’s Dairy, Valley Children’s Hospital and the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools helped bring the total amount raised to $230,000.
Those contributions leave The Lighthouse for Children, the official nonprofit arm of First 5 Fresno County, roughly $170,000 short of what’s needed to operate Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for two years. The program will begin taking sign-ups as soon as the fundraising goal is reached.
“We’re putting up the bat signal for any private parties or local organizations to contribute,” Maxwell said.
“We will take from whomever is willing to give,” Jurado Hernandez added.
With Giving Tuesday right around the corner, there’s no better or more socially acceptable time to make a tax-deductible donation.
To donate online, visit LFCfresno.org/DPIL. Or send checks to: Lighthouse for Children Inc., Attention: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, 2405 Tulare Street Suite 200, Fresno CA 93721. (Write “Fresno Imagination Library” on the memo line.)
“Getting this program off the ground early next year would be pretty cool, especially if we could get Dolly Parton to come to Fresno County as part of the launch,” Maxwell said.
That would be pretty cool. Almost as cool as a childhood literacy program that sends free books to kids.
