Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, country music singer Dolly Parton started Imagination Library in 1995 for the children within her home county, Sevier County, Tennessee.
Today, the program spans five countries and gifts more than 1 million free books each month to children around the world.
That now includes Jackson County.
Pam Kindel, office manager for Schuler Bauer Real Estate Services in Seymour, said she first heard about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library from Morgan Bauer Brown, chief operating officer Schuler Bauer Real Estate Services.
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Click here to purchase photos from this gallery“We began researching how the program was already serving several communities in Indiana, and we decided this would be a valuable way to engage our own community,” Kindel said.
The program is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting free books to children from birth to age 5.
“At Schuler Bauer Real Estate Seymour, we believe in investing in the small children of our community by meeting the needs of food insecurity, and childhood literacy seems to go hand in hand with the impact we are trying to make,” said Kindel, who also oversees the local Blessings in a Backpack program that provides weekend food to kids.
In the first month of Imagination Library in Jackson County, more than 130 children have been enrolled.
“Each month, we have new children that enroll and children that graduate, but our enrollment numbers will constantly increase,” Kindel said. “At approximately $2.25 a book, that means it costs our program approximately $300 a month for the book and shipping costs at our current level of enrollment. It’s amazing that we have reached this level in just one month, and we have this community to thank for their support.”
The program is run solely by donations, and $25 provides a book a month for the entire year. Donations are tax-deductible and may be made online at bit.ly/3tWHqvK. Enter a Jackson County ZIP code to ensure the donation stays local.
Checks also can be made payable to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and writing “Jackson County Indiana” in the memo line and mailing to Schuler Bauer, 209 S. Carter St., Seymour, IN 47274.
“Because Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a national and international program, that means they operate on a very large scale, purchasing and mailing more than a million books each month for children around the world,” Kindel said. “That’s how they are able to provide this service at a cost low enough to be covered by donations so that all families can participate for free.”
Parents can either register their child online at bit.ly/3oRMMos, print an application and mail it to the Schuler Bauer office or pick up a paper copy at The Magic of Books Bookstore, 113 W. Second St., Seymour.
People applying on behalf of their children must live in Jackson County to be eligible for the program.
“We encourage families to register all of their children (birth to fifth birthday) for this program,” Kindel said. “The books are mailed in the child’s name, so they get to create their own personal library. Also, the books are based on age, so you if you have children of different ages, they will get different books (after the initial welcome book).”
Every child receives the same welcome book, regardless of age. That first book is “The Little Engine That Could.” After that, the books are sent based on age. For a list of books for your child’s age group, visit imaginationlibrary.com/usa/book-list.
The final book that all children receive for their fifth birthday is “Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!”
“The first book will arrive approximately six to eight weeks after you sign up,” Kindel said. “Because the national organization is so large, it takes a little while to get new addresses into their system. But once you get the first book, a new book will come regularly every month until your child’s fifth birthday.”
To start Imagination Library in Jackson County, Kindel applied online at imaginationlibrary.com. She had to partner with a local 501(c)(3) organization and chose READ Jackson County.
“It made a lot of sense to us to partner with a local not-for-profit agency that is already passionate about childhood literacy,” Kindel said.
Anne Staley, executive director of READ Jackson County, said since starting in her position a year ago, she has wanted to bring Imagination Library to the county.
“Sadly, I put that idea on my future to-do list, as I revamped the RJC image and added more programming,” she said.
When Kindel approached her about being a partner nonprofit organization for the endeavor, Staley said she was happy to do so.
“Of course, since our mission is all things literacy, I was all for it,” she said. “There was quite a bit of paperwork that was required to show that READ Jackson County was indeed an active nonprofit organization promoting literacy, but that was nothing compared to the benefit our community will receive by allowing families to create home libraries for their children.”
The goal of the program is to ensure all Jackson County children have access to books in their homes.
“We want to help families build their own home libraries and really build a love of reading in our young children,” Kindel said. “A great deal of research has shown a connection between having books in the home and future school success for children.”
Staley agreed developing a home library is important.
“Research shows that access to books at an early age is critical to developing literacy,” she said. “Allowing children ownership of their own books shows them the importance of reading, not just for school but for pleasure, too.”
While there was no initial cost to apply for Imagination Library, Kindel said the next big step in the process was fundraising.
“We are needing to fundraise as much as possible to pay for our portion of the program, which is postage,” she said. “The more money we are able to raise, the more kids we can serve and the greater impact we can have here in Jackson County.”
Kindel and Staley continue to search for community partners in the form of local individuals, businesses and organizations who want to help them execute the mission of the program.
“At Schuler Bauer Real Estate Seymour, we find our community is eager to partner in facing challenges such as child food insecurity and child literacy,” she said.
“One of the biggest challenges we find is community awareness and education,” she said. “Nearly everyone we partner with is unaware of the actual needs in Jackson County in these two important areas. Once they become aware of the needs in their own neighborhoods and in their own schools and churches, they can’t help but want to make an impact in some way.”
From testimonials they have read from parents, Kindel said children are excited to receive their books in the mail.
“On some level, it’s like the anticipation of opening gifts on Christmas morning,” she said. “What an amazing dynamic this creates for both parents and children to share on a monthly basis.”
As the program moves forward, she said the plan is to engage with schools and other members of the community to set up guest reader appearances live via Zoom.
“As our world continues to heal from the coronavirus, we plan to eventually have these guest reader appearances in person in the classroom, as well,” Kindel said. “We will also be recording guest readers and posting them regularly on our Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Jackson County Facebook page.”
Staley said she looks forward to seeing Imagination Library grow and prosper in Jackson County, providing years of reading enjoyment for local children.
“To encourage parents to sign their children up, I would say this: ‘Why wouldn’t you?'” she said.
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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is now available in Jackson County.
To enroll a child so they receive a free book each month until their fifth birthday, visit bit.ly/3oRMMos. Parents also can print an application and mail it to Schuler Bauer, 209 S. Carter St., Seymour, IN 47274 or pick up a paper copy at The Magic of Books Bookstore, 113 W. Second St., Seymour.
People applying on behalf of their children must live in Jackson County to be eligible for the program.
Imagination Library is run solely by donations, and $25 provides a book a month for the entire year. Donations are tax-deductible and may be made by calling Pam Kindel at 812-216-2297 or visiting bit.ly/3tWHqvK. Enter a Jackson County ZIP code to ensure the donation stays local.
Checks also can be made payable to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and writing “Jackson County Indiana” in the memo line and mailing to Schuler Bauer, 209 S. Carter St., Seymour, IN 47274.
For information, visit facebook.com/Dolly-Partons-Imagination-Library-of-Jackson-County-101235208646915, readjacksoncounty.com/dolly-parton-s-imagination-library or imaginationlibrary.com.
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