Donations will fund Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in county for five years

Andy Knight, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
·2 min read

Jun. 17—ANDERSON — Efforts to place a book in the hands of every preschool-aged child in Madison County received a boost Thursday as two local corporate partners announced donations to a statewide nonprofit focusing on improving childhood literacy.

Hoosiers Read, a 2-year-old project originating from the Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation, announced a $250,000 grant from the CenterPoint Energy Foundation and a $20,000 donation from the Community Hospital Anderson Foundation. The funds will be used to bring Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Program to the county, with a goal of giving books to more than 4,500 children over the next five years.

"We want to make sure every kid in Indiana grows up with books in their home," said Ben Battaglia, founder of Hoosiers Read. "Investments like this in early reading have a significant, well-proven return on long-run academic success."

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, founded in 1995, is an international book gifting program that provides more than a million books each month to children ages 5 and younger. The country music icon started the project in her Tennessee hometown, inspired in part by her father's inability to read. The program also has a presence in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

In seeking to expand the program in Indiana, organizers considered nearby areas where it has seen positive feedback. There are no income restrictions for those participating.

"It's open to every kid in the county, which is really exciting to us," said Amanda Schmitt, president of the CenterPoint Energy Foundation. "We want something that's accessible for everyone. We want every kid to feel that excitement of getting a new book."

Battaglia and Schmitt said adding Community Hospital as a local partner was a logical step. As one of the county's largest employers, the hospital enjoys name recognition throughout the county.

"The opportunity to bring Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to Madison County children feels like a natural extension of the work we already do to help bolster healthy brain development, language skills and emotional bonding between parents and their children," said Tom Bannon, vice president of community engagement and chief foundation officer at Community Hospital Anderson.

Officials are considering several ideas to make people aware of the Imagination Library as well.

"The team (at Community Hospital) has tons of ideas for how they can deploy the program and increase engagement," Battaglia said. "Anything from, hey, let's make sure it's in every newborn folder to let's make sure there's references to this in the pediatric unit. So having a really strong local partner like that is going to be essential for maximizing registration."

Although registration for the program will be primarily online, Battaglia said organizers will be working to set up physical registration points throughout the county.

Follow Andy Knight on Twitter @Andrew_J_Knight, or call 765-640-4809.