Fayette Electric Cooperative is excited to announce their partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Each month, the Imagination Library will provide an age-appropriate book for each registered child, absolutely free to the family. Fayette EC recently created a fund with the help of the Fayette Community Foundation called the Fayette Electric Cooperative Charitable Fund in support of this program.
Children from birth to age five who are registered with the program will receive a high-quality book each month delivered directly to their home. At this time, the program is only available to those living in the 78945 zip code. After evaluation of this pilot program for one year, the Fayette EC board hopes to open the program up to other areas in their service territory.
"Fayette Community Foundation is thrilled to support FEC in bringing this program to our local families. By having a fund under the FCF umbrella, all donations made to this program are completely tax deductible while also ensuring children in our area have access to a reliable source of high-quality books,” said FCF Executive Director Susannah Mikulin.
Improving early childhood literacy with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library creates opportunities for children to thrive and succeed in school, helping their communities grow and prosper. “Participating in this literacy program was an easy decision for the board of directors, and we are excited to join with cooperatives from all over the nation to bring free books to our community's preschoolers. We intend to grow this program over the years and encourage all families with a young child to enroll their eligible children to receive these great quality hardcover books,” said FEC Director Gale Lincke.
In year one of the program, Fayette EC hopes to:
Form partnerships with community partners. These local partners are the heart of the program. They promote the program online and at in-person events, fundraise and enroll children who live within the 78945 zip code.
Provide start-up funding. The Fayette EC board and Texas Electric Cooperatives has graciously provided the start-up funding to kick off this program. Fayette EC and the Fayette Community Foundation will work to continue to secure funding to sustain the program in the years ahead. The estimated participation for the program’s first year is approximately 419 children which equates to $1,320. Fayette EC welcomes donations from local philanthropists and organizations to help fund this wonderful program. Donors can make a tax-deductible donation by visiting the Fayette Community Foundation’s website.
Parents of children from birth to age five are encouraged to register their children here. If you have any questions about enrolling your child in the program or questions about donating, please contact Tracy Denton at (979) 968-3181 or at tracya@fayette.coop.
About Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has become the preeminent early childhood book gifting program in the world. The flagship program of The Dollywood Foundation has gifted well over 150 million free books in Australia, Canada, The Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Imagination Library mails more than 1.8 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age five. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading, inspiring them to dream. The program's impact has been widely researched, and results suggest positive increases in key early childhood literacy metrics. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. For more information, please visit here.