The Rice County Area United Way will host a fundraiser later this month to benefit one of the most important programs the organization administers, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Dolly Parton is, of course, among the most beloved entertainers in the world, known for her beautiful voice, her musicianship, her songwriting skills, her charming, often self-deprecating sense of humor, and her philanthropy. Parton has championed causes throughout her career from poverty relief, to environmental concerns, but the highest profile project has been the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025, the program has promoted literacy among the youngest children, who are eligible on the day they are born, by sending them a book every month until their first day of kindergarten.
The program is a collaboration between Parton’s foundation and local organizations. The Rice County United Way is that local partner in the Northfield area, providing books each month to more than 1500 Rice County kids, at a cost of $45,000 every year.
In an effort to ease that economic burden, a group of current and former teachers have joined with a group of concerned parents to form the Friends of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Their goal is to support the Rice County Area United Way, to not just keep the program going but to expand it as well.
Beth Berry, a principal of the Friends organization, said statistics show that children who are enrolled in the program test Kindergarten Ready at a higher rate, and at the 3rd Grade level test a full 20% higher than those who are not in the program.
It’s the 3rd Grade level, she said, where things get really important.
“And one of the important things about third grade is that that is when it goes from learning to read, to reading to learn. And if you’re not at level there, you get left behind. And so that leads to many other situations. So, when we look at some of the statistics, 75% to 79% of inmates are functionally illiterate, so we’re talking about $30 a year for books and $45,000 a year to have someone incarcerated.”
The Friends of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library will host a fundraiser at the Northfield Ballroom on January 24th. The doors will open at 6:30. For ticket information, click here.
