Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library gifting books to Newport County children

May 9, 2020/RINewsToday

Dolly Parton’s surprise performance was a highlight of the 2019 Newport Folk Festival. Dolly has also been doing her video readings to children during the time of the coronavirus. Now, thanks to the generosity of the Bazarsky Family Foundation (BFF), Dolly Parton’s innovative book-gifting, Imagination Library, will be in residence for Newport County, at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center (MLK).

*MLK Center – David & Carol Bazarsky of the Bazarsky Family Foundation*

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) puts books into the hands and hearts of children across the world. They partner with local communities to provide a hand-selected, age-appropriate, high-quality book each month to registered children from birth to age five, completely free of cost. Founded by entertainer Dolly Parton in 1995 and based in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the Imagination is a globally recognized non-profit, with programs throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, presented by the Bazarsky Family Foundation, every month young children anywhere in Newport County can receive a book of their very own for their first five years.

“Our goal is to mail books every month to as many children as possible. Census data tells us there are over 3,500 children aged 5 and under in Newport County. We hope to enroll 100% over the course of three years. We’ve committed to fully funding the Imagination Library at the MLK Community Center,” says Carol Bazarsky, co-founding trustee of the BFF.

“As a former educator, I can speak to the importance of books and reading for all children, especially the very young. Just having books in the home increases literary rates. The BFF’s amazing gift levels the playing field: every child who lives in Newport County is eligible,” says Heather Hole Strout, the Center’s Executive Director. “I’m especially happy that two books each year are in both Spanish and English,” she added.

Starting the program is a “passion,” says Bazarsky. “David and I wanted to fund a literacy program for many years,” she says. “Literacy is critically important for our community’s kids. If children aren’t reading well by grade 3, they often never catch up. I wasn’t sure how to get the program out into the community and then I had a 3:00 a.m. epiphany when I thought of the MLK and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.”

The Foundation has a long history with the Center, completely renovating the MLK’s After School and Summer Camp education spaces, creating high-tech yet warm and welcoming spaces designed to enhance learning. The Bazarsky Family Foundation’s mission is to enhance education on Aquidneck Island, with a vision of partnering with organizations like the MLK Community Center to provide all local children with the tools necessary to grow and prosper into young adults.

Imagination Libraries across the globe are community funded. “It’s incredible that a private foundation like the Bazarsky Family’s is launching and sustaining this at the MLK,” says Hole Strout. “This program won’t cost families, the Center, or local school districts a single penny. The Bazarsky Family Foundation is truly changing lives with this transformational gift.”

Regardless of household income, any Newport County child from birth to their 5th birthday can be enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, presented by the Bazarsky Family Foundation. Children who live in Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Little Compton, or Jamestown are eligible. “This isn’t about how much money a family earns, or doesn’t earn, or about what their native language is. It’s about mailing a high-quality book of their very own every month to kids across Newport County,” says Bazarsky.

Parents & guardians: to sign up your child to receive a free, age-appropriate book in the mail each month, visit the Imagination Library website. It will walk you through registration to ensure your child’s privacy. https://imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability/?#selectedCountry=US or contact [email protected]

DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth to age five in participating communities within the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Republic of Ireland.

Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for the children within her home county. Today, her program spans four countries and mails over 1 million free books each month to children around the world.

“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer.
The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”