Dolly Parton is working together with Leisure & Culture Dundee and local funders to inspire a love of reading in all Charleston children from birth to age five withFREE books.
Charleston Community Library, managed by Leisure & Culture Dundee, is now hosting Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. The programme's mission is to inspire a love of reading by gifting books FREE of charge to children from birth to age five, through funding shared by the Dollywood Foundation, Lochee Community Regeneration Forum and Help For Kids.
Inspired by her father's inability to read or write, Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for children in her home county. Today, her programme spans five countries and gifts over 3 million free books each month to children, regardless of the family's income. This year, Dolly celebrates 30 years of the Imagination Library and gifting over 250 million books since inception.
The Dollywood Foundation UK team and Leisure & Culture Dundee are also inviting other local charities, businesses and organisations to invest alongside Dolly to make this exciting vision even better for Charleston's children.
Sarah Johnston, Library & Information Officer at Charleston Community Library said,
"Our library is at the heart of the community in Charleston, so it is really exciting for us to partner with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and others on this initiative. It's a fantastic opportunity for parents and carers in the local area to get free books for their under 5s. It will be lots of fun with Dolly involved and a chance to develop a lifelong love of reading from an early age."
Helena Barrett-Duncan from The Dollywood Foundation UK said,
"The Dollywood Foundation in the UK is delighted to see the launch of the Charleston Imagination Library, bringing us one step closer to realising our dream of bringing the benefits of the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to the children of Dundee. We are excited about the partnership with the library through Leisure & Culture Dundee, who share our aim to inspire a lifelong love of reading, and the lifelong impact that can make for the city's youngest children."
Councillor Lee Mills who is co-ordinating the project in Charleston said,
"I am absolutely delighted to be working with Sarah at Charleston Community Library to bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to Charleston. This year the Dolly Parton Imagination Library celebrates its 30-year anniversary and I am glad that we are able to play our part to spread the joy of reading and of course Dolly! I would encourage anyone who can, get involved and help us expand to ensure that we can get as many books as possible into the hands of our future leaders."
If you are interested registering your children for FREE books from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library or helping the initiative, then please pop in or get in touch with Sarah Johnston at Charleston Community Library by emailing charleston.library@leisureandculturedundee.com.
To find out more about Dolly Parton's Imagination Library visit https://imaginationlibrary.com/