Washington County, OH – Time and again the Board of Directors and Staff of Marietta Community Foundation are humbled by the generosity of our community. Whether it is through the sharing of time and/or resources, members of Washington County strive to exceed the needs of others when they arise.

In March, the Foundation released a story to encourage new and/or existing donors to support 19 local children who were waiting their turn to become a member of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Through an influx of donations from community members, the Foundation was able to register the 19 children on the waiting list and an additional 10 children who signed up after the original story was published.

“These 29 newly-registered children will now enjoy the excitement of receiving a new book each month from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,” said Heather Allender, President & CEO of Marietta Community Foundation. “Our donors made that possible.”

With these 29 new registrations, the Foundation now supports 81 local children through our partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Children who register through the Foundation receive a free book sent to them from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in the mail each month. The book service program began in 1995 but soon expanded to a global entity in the following years.

In 2017, with support from The Owen Family Memorial Fund, the Foundation entered into an affiliation with the book service to increase early educational development for local children.

“Reading is so important for children of any age,” said a local parent whose children are new recipients, “it allows their imagination to continue to grow and thrive, which is why I think this program is phenomenal.”

Registrations continue to come in, so if you are interested in sponsoring children for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program or other programs that engage local children and youth, please contact Heather Allender at heather@mcfohio.org