March is National Reading Month, and United Way of Southwest Michigan and its community partners at Honor Credit Union are launching a fundraising campaign to assist in sustaining Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties. United Way is looking to meet a goal of $50,000 in new donations during the month to help meet the sustainability goal for the program.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides books free of charge to all children under the age of 5 and their families, regardless of income. However, the cost for United Way to provide this program is close to $35 per child per year. Currently, nearly 5,300 children are enrolled in the program in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties.
To sustain current enrollment in the program, United Way of Southwest Michigan needs approximately $185,000 annually. To begin allowing new enrollees, the program needs at least $250,000 annually. While several local foundations, sponsorships and grants have been secured for this program, there is still a gap in funding. So, the United Way is asking area small businesses and local donors to assist.
Thus far, more than 50% of the program has reached sustainability thanks to generous donations from many partners, including event sponsor Honor Credit Union, and annual series sponsors Silver Beach Pizza, Michigan Works Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren, and Gast Manufacturing.
Why Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is important to Southwest Michigan
- According to the Michigan Department of Education, 56% of third graders in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties are not meeting reading proficiency.
- 75% of children who are poor readers in third grade will be poor readers in high school. Many of these children will struggle or eventually drop out of school.
- In order for children to possess the proper reading skills in third grade, efforts at developing literacy abilities need to begin much sooner. Research shows that the learning environment at home, even from the very birth of a child, has tremendous impact on the short-term and long-term reading capability of a child.
- Children develop much of their capacity to learn in the first three years of life, when their brains grow to 90% of their eventual adult weight.
- Studies show that when children enter school with age-appropriate language and literacy skills, they are more likely to read at or above grade level by third grade. They are also better prepared to succeed in later grades.
- Immersing a child in a literacy-rich environment from birth can be a stronger predictor of literacy and academic achievement than family income.
The United Way invites you or your business or group to consider sponsoring a child—or several—in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program.
Details and options:
https://fundraise.givesmart.com/e/N8PoLw?vid=1i7z7v
