Imagine if every single preschool child in our community received a book in his/her home every month for the first five years of life. Imagine the excitement those children would have in receiving those gifts. Imagine if this 60 volume library was absolutely free to the child and his/her family. This is a reality and it’s called the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County is very excited to announce that they have a $250,000 match gift from an anonymous donor to build the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Endowment. For every dollar raised, up to $250,000, the donor will match each gift, dollar for dollar. This Endowment will help fund the on-going cost of the program. An opportunity like this one seldom has never before seen at our Community Foundation. Help us create something wonderful for our area’s children under five years old. The Community Foundation needs the community’s help in meeting the $250,000 match.
This program began in the Harrisonburg/Rockingham County community in March 2022, when The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County enrolled the first child. Today TCFHR has enrolled a total of 2,754 children and has mailed a total of 28,047 books. Books are new, age-appropriate and simply amazing. Dolly’s Imagination Library is designed to inspire the love of reading and learning in children by spending time with family and friends sharing these wonderful books together. Dolly understands that reading is the key to a strong education; and that a child’s imagination is the center of his/her dreams and creativity. This program inspires children to dream more, learn more, care more, and be more.
At the heart of this effort are the local affiliates, like The Community Foundation, who register children and cover the cost of the books and the postage. The cost of books and postage adds up pretty quickly at $26.40 per child each year. For those wanting to be a part of this wonderful program for our area’s children, visit www.tcfhr.org or call 540-432-3863 to learn how you can make a difference.