The Henderson Kentucky Education Foundation is pleased to be the local program partner for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Henderson County. Dolly's Foundation supports the book gifting program for children between the ages of birth to five in conjunction with the Education Foundation's responsibility to provide book mailing expenses. United Way giving helps support this early literacy initiative in Henderson County, which is available for all local children, from birth to five. Currently, 1,475 Henderson children receive a free book once a month in their mailbox! Children can be enrolled by visiting the website imaginationlibrary.com. Thank you, United Way and other local partners, for supporting this program since 2003!
A local parent, Hannah Grass Edwards, shares her thoughts about Imagination Library:
"As a parent to an 18-month-old little boy, Imagination Library has been one of the best things for our family. He loves toddling to the mailbox with me every day, and on the days when an Imagination Library book arrives, he gets so excited. He will sit right down in the driveway trying to get the package open.
I have loved reading my whole life, and Imagination Library has made it so much easier for me to pass that love on to my son, Reed. Every night, he picks a book from his shelf, toddles over, climbs into my lap, and places the book in my hands so we can read together. We have read Buffalo Fluffalo more times than I can count.
What I appreciate most about the program is that it makes books accessible and exciting for families. Receiving a new book in the mail each month gives children something to look forward to and helps create positive experiences around reading from an early age. For our family, those books have become part of our daily routine and some of our favorite moments together.
As both a parent and someone who works in a library, I see firsthand how important it is for children to have access to books from an early age. Imagination Library helps create a foundation for literacy while also giving families meaningful opportunities to spend time together. The impact goes far beyond the books themselves. It creates memories, builds routines, and fosters a lifelong love of reading."