For Immediate Release
Contact: Patricia O'Brien
(440) 366-4885
Lorain County Imagination Library
Seeks 3,800 $25 Dollar Donors
Elyria, Ohio (March 25, 2019) – Lorain County Imagination Library (LCIL) is a county-wide initiative designed to increase children’s access to print materials, promote kindergarten readiness, and encourage parents to read to their child every day. LCIL is open to any child (birth to age five) living in Lorain County. Once enrolled, children receive one book mailed directly to their home monthly. Each book is selected for the developmental benefits it brings and for the fun. If registered at birth, a child will build an at-home library of 60 brand-new books. The first book a child receives is The Little Engine that Could. The last book, delivered the month the child turns five is, Look out Kindergarten, Here I Come!
County-wide 17,041 children are eligible to participate in the program. Although offered at no-cost to families, the actual cost is $25 per child annually to cover book fees. Through the generosity of many Lorain County individuals, foundations, corporations, school districts, and other governmental agencies, LCIL has grown to serve 43% or 7,250 children monthly since its inception on July 1, 2017.
To maintain the program at current levels, LCIL seeks additional community support. By June 30, 2019, LCIL has set a fundraising goal of securing 3,800 new or returning $25 donors. In addition, reaching this monetary goal allows LCIL to access a $75,000 challenge grant issued by
The Stocker Foundation. A social media campaign was launched on March 1, with 346 twenty-five dollar donations made to date.
The Stocker Foundation’s Executive Director, Patricia O’Brien, said “Reading aloud is the single most important activity supporting children’s language and literacy development. Access to print resources—board books, stories, and informational books—early on has both immediate and long-term effects on children's vocabulary, background knowledge, and comprehension skills. And while public libraries are critically important in giving families access to books, research has shown that regardless of a family’s income, the presence of books in the home is directly related to children's reading achievement.” Unfortunately, if LCIL is not able to secure the funding necessary, the program will end. Please consider supporting LCIL by mailing in a donation or giving online.
Donations by mail: Community Foundation of Lorain County; 9080 Leavitt Road; Elyria, Ohio 44035 (ATTN: Lorain County Imagination Library)
Donations online: www.loraincountyimaginationlibrary.org/donate
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) was established in 1995 to put books into the hands and hearts of children around the world. DPIL partners with more than 1,600 local communities to provide a free, high-quality book each month to registered children from birth to age five. A love of books and reading offers the foundation for literacy skills that set children up for success. A few highlights from 2018 include: introducing 66 new titles and gifting over 15.2 million books across The United States and abroad, a 16% increase over last year.
For the first five years (2017-2021), The Stocker Foundation will serve as the backbone agency of LCIL, providing key leadership and financial support ($400,000 over five years -- $100,000 outright and$75,000 one-to-one challenges for Years Two through Five). Community Foundation of Lorain County is an active collaborator, serving as LCIL’s fiscal sponsor.