.jpg)
The Ely Rotary Club awarded a $1,000 grant to United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN) May 8 to support the organization’s local operation of the Imagination Library program.
The program, which was launched by Dolly Parton to mail free monthly books to children under the age of five, requires a local affiliate to operate. UWNEMN is the affiliate for the Iron Range, Koochiching County, and Lake of the Woods County and purchases the books, covers postage costs, manages enrollments, and promotes and markets the program locally.
UWNEMN brought Imagination Library to the region in 2008 and has since mailed more than 400,000 books to children across the region. Ely Rotary Club’s $1,000 grant will support the participation of Ely and Winton area children, thereby building their early literacy skills and increasing their kindergarten readiness.
“Grants like this make it possible for us to continue and grow this amazing and impactful program,” said UWNEMN Education & Childhood Programs Specialist. “Our goal is to get books in the hands of every early learner in our region!”
Research shows reading to preschool age children gives them a head-start in life. Surveys of local Imagination Library families show 93% of parents/guardians spend more time reading to their children, 95% of parents/guardians see their child is more interested in reading, and 97% of parents/guardians feel their child is better prepared for kindergarten because of the Imagination Library program.
To enroll your child in Imagination Library, visit: www.unitedwaynemn. org/imagination-library
