Washington County, OH — Marietta Community Foundation is pleased to announce a heartwarming milestone: as of December 2023, over 50,000 books have reached the eager hands of local children across Washington County through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program.

The Imagination Library program, spearheaded by the iconic Dolly Parton, mails new, high-quality, age-appropriate books to children every month until their 5th birthday. The program aims to instill a love for reading, strengthen parent-child bonds, and equip children with essential skills for life.

Since 2017, Marietta Community Foundation has been at the forefront of this initiative, serving as the local affiliate for the International Imagination Library program. This commendable effort has touched the lives of 2,658 children, impacting families in every corner of Washington County.

Heather Allender, President & CEO of Marietta Community Foundation, expressed her excitement, stating, “Witnessing the joy on a child's face as they open a book is truly magical. These 50,000 books represent not just stories, but the promise of a brighter future through the power of education. We are immensely proud to be part of this journey with our community.”

Key Achievements:

• 51,521 books mailed since 2017

• 1,565 children actively receive books each month

• 1,093 children have graduated from the program

• 187 children are waitlisted, seeking additional funding for registration

The Heart of the Matter:

The Imagination Library program is offered free of charge to all children under the age of 5 and their families, regardless of income. However, to sustain this impactful initiative, Marietta Community Foundation relies on the generosity of donors and sponsors. Each $25 donation sponsors a child for one year, providing 12 books of joy and education.

• Sponsor a child for one year, providing 12 books - $25

• Sponsor a child for three years, providing 36 books - $75

• Sponsor a child for the whole program, providing 60 books - $125

How You Can Help:

To make a donation or register a child, visit https://www.mcfohio.org/imagination-library.

About Marietta Community Foundation

Marietta Community Foundation is where generous families, businesses, and nonprofits come together to transform lives and strengthen Washington County, Ohio — turning good intentions into great accomplishments. The Foundation has distributed more than $27 Million to charities since its creation in 1974 and currently manages over 350 funds while meeting rigorous national standards in the community foundation sector.

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 200 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 2 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.