Dolly Parton Book Program Adds New Sites Amid Local Funding Efforts

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which sends free monthly books to children from birth to age five, is seeing renewed launches and fundraising efforts in several communities. In Ventura County, the Oxnard Friends of the Library donated $5,000 toward launching the program, which has more than 2,500 children on its waiting list and aims to offer English and bilingual English-Spanish books. In Wales, the program has relaunched in some areas, while advocates are calling for stable funding to make it available more broadly. In Wisconsin, a launch celebration is planned in Eau Claire, while Summit County, Ohio, officials are seeking a local partner to support a program already serving more than 17,000 children there. West Virginia’s statewide program is marking 20 years and plans a telethon to address funding gaps and expand access, despite serving tens of thousands of children across all 55 counties.