STATE COLLEGE — Centre County United Way is joining The Dollywood Foundation and Imagination Library communities around the world in celebrating Give Like Dolly Day on Sept. 25.
The global day of giving will honor Dolly Parton’s extraordinary legacy of inspiring children to dream big and develop a lifelong love of reading while shining a spotlight on the local partners that make Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library possible in communities around the world.
CCUW administers the Imagination Library program locally, currently providing free, age-appropriate books to more than 1,500 children from birth to age five living in 28 of Centre County’s 35 municipalities.
“In the days following Dolly’s passing, we received 132 new registrations from Centre County families,” said Megan Evans, Executive Director of CCUW. “It was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. We were thrilled to see so many families wanting to carry Dolly’s legacy forward through a love of reading, but without additional funding, we cannot immediately welcome every child into the program. Those 132 children alone represent nearly $346 in additional costs every month — and more families continue to register. Give Like Dolly Day gives our community a meaningful opportunity to turn its love for Dolly into action and help ensure that every local child who wants to participate can receive the gift of books.”
Although participation is completely free for families, Centre County United Way must raise dedicated local funding to cover the shipping and fulfillment costs associated with every book delivered. The local Imagination Library program is funded separately from CCUW’s Annual Campaign.
Each book delivered costs CCUW $2.62. At current enrollment, it takes at least $3,930 each month — or more than $47,000 annually — to keep books arriving in the mailboxes of local children. As interest in the program continues to grow, additional community support is urgently needed to serve currently enrolled children and welcome more families.
Community members can participate in Give Like Dolly Day by:
- Giving: Donate $9.25, $25 or another meaningful amount directly to the Centre County Imagination Library program.
- Sharing: Share Centre County United Way’s Give Like Dolly Day graphics, stories and donation link on social media using #GiveLikeDolly or #9to5DollyDay.
- Celebrating: Read with a child, organize a workplace giving challenge, host a read-aloud or create another Dolly-inspired activity that supports early literacy.
Gifts made through Centre County United Way’s dedicated Imagination Library link directly support the delivery of books to children in Centre County: www.donate.imaginationlibrary.com/?country=US&affid=PACENTRECO
A Global Celebration With Local Impact
The Dollywood Foundation announced Give Like Dolly Day as a global day dedicated to supporting local Imagination Library programs and honoring Dolly’s lifelong commitment to children.
At the heart of the celebration are thousands of Local Imagination Library Partners —including Centre County United Way — that raise funds, build community support and help ensure children from birth to age five can receive a free, high-quality book mailed directly to their homes each month.
Dolly often called these local partners the “true heroes” of her program.
“For Dolly, giving was always personal and from her heart,” said Jeff Conyers, President of The Dollywood Foundation. “She believed deeply in helping people, especially children, and she always felt if you are in a position to help, you should help. Give Like Dolly Day is an opportunity for people everywhere to not only support their local Imagination Library Partners but also other local nonprofits helping children.”
Dolly founded the Imagination Library in 1995 in honor of her father, who could not read or write. What began in her home county in East Tennessee has grown into the largest early childhood book-gifting program in the world, serving children and families through local partnerships in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland.
The program is made possible through the continued support of Dolly’s Estate and The Dollywood Foundation, which invest in the partnerships, resources and systems that empower thousands of Local Program Partners. Those partners build awareness and provide the local funding needed to cover the wholesale cost of books and mailing for children in their communities.
Together, this unique partnership helps place books into the homes—and hearts—of millions of children around the world.
Give Like Dolly Day will be celebrated annually on September 25, establishing a new tradition honoring the way Dolly lived her life: inspiring children to Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More.
