Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is continuing to expand into communities across Washington, with Tacoma South Rotary Club becoming a local program partner for families and children under age five living in zip code 98418 in Pierce County. Tacoma South Rotary Club joins four additional Pierce County local partners who provide a free book every month to kids from birth until their fifth birthday. Washington now has 49 partners serving over 63,000 kids with monthly books. 

Tacoma South Rotary Club President Linda Cameron shares, “I learned to read at an early age and this wonderful habit has sustained me throughout my life. As a child, from a low-income family, my library card was priceless. Books were the doors to the theatre of my mind where time, place and space were just a thought away. Getting lost in a book is one of my greatest pleasures.

It is with great joy that Tacoma South Rotary steps up to the plate. Our club becoming an affiliate for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is profoundly meaningful as it aligns with our commitment to literacy and education. It provides us with another powerful tool in our toolbox to make a measurable generational difference in the lives of Pierce County residents; and we become a partner in Dolly’s renowned global program benefiting millions of children worldwide.

Through this partnership, we join other Rotary clubs in nurturing a love for reading in young children, empower families, and reinforce Rotary’s mission of serving others, ultimately leaving a lasting and meaningful imprint on the lives of countless children and their families. I can read … three powerful words that make all the difference throughout a child’s life.  Together, we are unlocking worlds - one page at a time.”

American icon Dolly Parton started her Imagination Library book-gifting program in 1995 in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, to nurture a love of reading among pre-school age children. Her inspiration behind creating Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was her father’s inability to read and write and now in its 27th year, the Imagination Library has mailed over 200 million books worldwide.  

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails high quality, age-appropriate books each month to children from birth up to age five, at no cost to the family. Books are carefully selected each year by the Blue Ribbon Book Selection Committee and meet the different needs of children as they progress from birth to age five.

“It is a happy day, as more children in Pierce County get the opportunity to receive free monthly books, and we are so grateful to our affiliate Tacoma South Rotary for stepping up as a new affiliate to provide this powerful early literacy opportunity to more children,” stated Executive Director of Imagination Library of Washington, Brooke Fisher-Clark.

Families with eligible children can register for the Imagination Library online by visiting www.imaginationlibrarywashington.org. Imagination Library of Washington has established programming in 37 of Washington’s 39 counties, with the goal of achieving full state coverage by August 2023.