Letter from ILFC

 

Letter to the Editor – Brookville American

I speak for our entire Imagination Library of Franklin County (ILFC) Board when I state that we have had an incredibly stressful past week.  On Friday, February 14 we learned Governor Braun had eliminated all funding for the statewide Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program in the 2025 budget. Upon hearing this news, we reached out to several local organizations to get the word out.  We also contacted our state legislature representative and senator; both responded later in the week with support for the program – this we appreciate.

To provide some background, our local program began in 2007 when Mr. Don Jobe formed a committee to learn about and initiate the program locally. It was supported by the Franklin County Retired Teacher Association, FCHS Book Club, and the Brookville Foundation.  United Way of Franklin County served as the fiscal agent until ILFC became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2008.  The first children were enrolled in ILFC at the Stayin’ Alive Family Fun Day in 2008.  Branson Russell was the first child enrolled that day, and ILFC was proud to celebrate with him as a FCHS 2024 graduate.  The statewide program started in 2023.

Our mission is to encourage a love of reading and lifelong learning.  We have done this successfully in Franklin County for 17 years by providing age-appropriate books to enrolled children who live in Franklin County – age birth to 5 years – at no cost to the child’s family. The books are addressed to the child and arrive in the mail monthly. We applauded the state in 2023 when it made the program statewide & promised to share one-half of the funding with the local organizations.

Our number of enrolled children was from 365-380 monthly for several years before the state entered to increase enrolled children & provide one-half funding. Almost two years in, our enrollment has almost doubled (639- February 2025). In January alone we welcomed 38 new children—we are growing fast!  Removing state funding would be devastating to our very successful program. We learned late Friday that the governor is tasking his wife to seek outside funding for the state’s portion to ensure the success of this valuable program. We will follow this news carefully — and hope she is successful.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a shared responsibility and successful program.  Here is how it works: The Dollywood Foundation provides a Blue Ribbon Book Selection Committee to annually pick the age-appropriate books, provides and maintains the online book order system database, coordinates the monthly book orders & wholesale purchasing, mails the books to enrolled children, and covers all overhead and administrative expenses to achieve this “love of reading magic”. The local organization (ILFC) makes the program accessible in our community, enrolls eligible children in the database, promotes the program locally, and PROVIDES FUNDS TO COVER THE COST OF BOOKS & POSTAGE. This should clear up any misconception that the books are free. To provide funding we rely on local donors (individuals, businesses, & civic organizations), grants, and board members working at annual events like the IGA cookout. Research shows it increases childhood literacy and promotes families reading together. It operates in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland.

ILFC appreciates your support and hopes you will become a sustaining donor.  It costs approximately $30 a year to provide a child with an age-appropriate book – addressed to the child and arriving in the mail monthly – to truly develop a love of reading & lifelong learning!

 

Thank you,

Linda A. Rosenberger

ILFC President

 

 

First Enrollee in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Franklin County in 2008, graduates from FCHS in 2024!

Congratulations to Branson Russell on his graduation from FCHS! It’s amazing to see the journey from being the first enrollee in the Imagination Library of Franklin County (ILFC) back in 2008 to reaching this milestone today.  Barb Frye’s, Branson’s grandmother, foresight in registering him and sixty others during the annual Family Fun Day set a wonderful precedent. With over 550 active children now benefiting from ILFC, it’s clear that this initiative has made a significant impact in Franklin County.

ILFC’s partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides age-appropriate books to children from birth to 5 years old, enriching their early learning experiences. Parents in Franklin County can visit imaginationlibraryfcin.com to register their children and be part of this worthwhile program. Here’s to fostering a love for reading and learning in the youngest members of our community!

About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book-gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted over 240 million free books in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. This is achieved through funding shared by The Dollywood Foundation and Local Community and [State/Provincial/National] Partners.  The Imagination Library mails more than 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes each month. Each child enrolled in the program receives one book per month from birth to age five – at no cost to families.  Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More.

The program’s impact has been widely researched, and results demonstrate its positive impact on early childhood development and literacy skills. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For more information, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.

 

 

 

 

ILFC Appreciates this generous donation from FCN Bank.

 

ILFC receives grant from WV REMC

 

 

 

ILFC Receives Grant from United Way of Franklin County

 

 

 

ILFC Receives Grant from Rush/Shelby Energy

Operation RoundUp trustees of Rush/Shelby Energy met on February 17, 2022 and Imagination Library of Franklin County (ILFC) was awarded a grant to purchase graduation yard signs. 2022 marks the first year that children who had been enrolled in ILFC will graduate from high school. The yard signs will help celebrate this accomplishment. ILFC would like to say a big THANK YOU to Rush/Shelby Energy for their support of this project.
Pictured: Rush/Shelby Energy Representative and Linda Rosenberger of ILFC