Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library launching in Vilas County

The Vilas County Early Childhood Literacy Coalition (ECLC), in partnership with the Northland Pines Community Foundation, will launch a local chapter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library on Saturday, Feb. 7, providing free books each month to Vilas County children from birth to age 5, regardless of family income.

With the new program, ECLC member Jean Lansing said the coalition hopes to “fulfill its mission of inspiring the love of books and reading.”

According to Lansing, the Imagination Library, founded in 1995 by entertainer Dolly Parton, has a proven record of enhancing early childhood literacy in the United States and internationally. By mailing books directly to children’s homes, the program ensures every child has access to reading materials. To date, it has distributed millions of books to children worldwide.

“Currently, there are more than 900 children in Vilas County who qualify to enroll in the program. Each child receives an age-appropriate book in the mail each month,” Lansing said, adding that a child enrolled for the full program will receive 60 books by age 5.

There is no cost to families receiving the books. The Dolly Parton Foundation covers all overhead and administrative expenses, provides Book Order System database support, coordinates a Blue Ribbon Book Selection Committee, and manages monthly book orders and fulfillment.

Local partners, including ECLC, enroll eligible children, pay the wholesale cost of books and mailing, and promote the program locally to support funding and enrollment.

ECLC has spent the past two years raising funds to launch the program in Vilas County. The cost to operate the program is currently about $32 per child per year, and fundraising efforts will continue to support ongoing enrollment.

The project has received enthusiastic community support from more than 100 individual donors and numerous organizations, with key financial contributions from the Eagle River Rotary Foundation, Eagle River Lions Club, Plum Lake Lions Club, Plum Lake Women’s Club, Sayner-Star Lake Lions Club, Lions Club of Boulder Junction, Phelps/Land O’ Lakes Lions Club, Friends of the Plum Lake Library, Community Church Thrift Shop, Forward Bank, First Congregational UCC, Don’s Auto, RE/MAX Realty and Buckshots Saloon.

How to register:

Representatives of ECLC will host live registration events around Vilas County on Saturday, Feb. 7, from 10 a.m. to noon to celebrate the launch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and assist parents with enrollment.

Registration events will be held at the Boulder Junction Public Library, the Northwoods Children’s Museum in Eagle River, Lac du Flambeau Public Library, Land O’ Lakes Public Library, Frank B. Koller Memorial Library in Manitowish Waters, and the Plum Lake Public Library in Sayner.

Parents may also register online beginning Feb. 7 at imaginationlibrary.org by clicking on “Check Availability.” Paper registration forms will be available at libraries throughout the county and may be returned to the Imagination Library of Vilas County.

Registration forms and donations may be mailed to the Vilas County Imagination Library, c/o Northland Pines Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1151, Eagle River, WI 54521. Checks should be made payable to the Northland Pines Community Foundation with “Imagination Library” noted in the memo line.

For more information, email vcimaginationlibrary@gmail.com, visit the Imagination Library of Vilas County, Wisconsin on Facebook, or go to sites.google.com/view/vilasimaginationlibrary.