March is National Reading Month, and the United Way of Southwest Michigan is raising funds for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The United Way’s Zack East tells us Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a program that helps kids under the age of five develop their reading skills.
“The best way to describe it is that it’s just a chance to get kids to really love reading at an early age because they’ll actually receive one book per month for five years of their childhood for free when they sign up for the program,” East said.
East says major donors have funded about half of the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Southwest Michigan, and now the United Way is seeking smaller donations from the general public to get the program fully funded. It’s used by many families in the region.
“The program is pretty popular to the point where it’s usually had between 5,000 and 8,000 students that have been involved over the years between Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties.”
The fundraising goal for the month is $50,000 and anyone can contribute.
East says supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is especially important in Southwest Michigan because nearly 60% of third graders in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties are not meeting reading proficiency. And 75% of children who are poor readers in third grade will be poor readers in high school, which could lead to some young people dropping out.
Anyone can donate to the library by going to UWSM.org.
