August 17, 2023 – Pierce County, Wash. — Exciting news! United Way of Pierce County is now a
partner of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Families with children aged 0-5 in Pierce County can
register to receive a free book every month until their child's fifth birthday, delivered directly
to their home.
This wonderful program fosters early literacy, increases school readiness, and promotes a love for
reading. Dolly Parton's inspiration behind creating this initiative was driven by her father's
struggle with reading, igniting her mission to inspire kids to love books. With over 195 million
gifted books worldwide, the Imagination Library is making a profound impact.
“Supporting reading and early literacy is part of the way we work to achieve our bold goal of
lifting 15,000 households out of poverty and into self-sufficiency,” said Dona Ponepinto, President
and CEO of United Way of Pierce County. “All of us can relate to having a favorite book that we
just can’t put down. This is a chance for us to partner and give back in a way that makes that real
for thousands of local children.”
Join us in celebrating this partnership and encouraging a passion for reading among young children
in our community. Families can enroll online by visiting our website.
Thank you to our state legislators for supporting Washington's children, and to the Imagination
Library of Washington for their invaluable assistance in this expansion effort.
United Way joins the following affiliate organizations serving Pierce County including
Carbonado School District, Chief Leschi School, Gig Harbor Rotary, Lakewood Rotary, and
Tacoma South Rotary.
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United Way of Pierce County collaborates to break the cycle of poverty by removing barriers and
focusing on long-term solutions. By helping build strong families and successful kids, we create a
community that will thrive.
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, a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has gifted well over 180 million free books in the United
States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and The Republic of Ireland. The Imagination Library
mails more than 2 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 impact of the program 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
www.imaginationlibrary.com.