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Imagination Library Update
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Summary and Background Information: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income.
After launching in 1995, the program grew quickly. First books were only distributed to children living in Sevier County, Tennessee where Dolly grew up. It became such a success that in 2000 a national replication effort was underway. By 2003, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library had mailed one million books. It would prove to be the first of many millions of books sent to children around the world.
Commerce City's contribution in 2021 helped provide approximately 487 books to children in Commerce City per month. Also in 2021, there were approximately 4,752 children under 5 years old in Commerce City and with funding from Commerce City ($6,000 in 2021), Imagination Library can reasonably expect to enroll 70% or 3,326 children into the program.
Staff Responsible (Department Head): Roger Tinklenberg, City Manager
Staff Member Presenting: Roger Gudenkauf
Financial Impact: $7,000 for 2022 and $10,000 for 2023
Funding Source: