Program Information
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library was created to guarantee access to books and to inspire parents to read to their children as much as possible.
United Way of Freeborn County is committed to building literacy skills and school readiness in young children. We want to ensure children have positive developmental opportunities so that they can start school ready to succeed. We want to grow success in learning and in life.
Studies show that when kids are given regular 'lap-time' not 'laptop' time, but time spent reading books before kindergarten, their vocabulary can reach 10,000 words before age 5. For a child who hasn't had this experience, their vocabulary is about 3,000 words.
United Way of Freeborn County, in partnership with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, provides one book each month to children, from birth to age 5, who live in Freeborn County and are registered by their parent or guardian.
This program currently provides monthly books to over 300 children in Freeborn County, but we need your help to sustain this program for many years to come.
These sturdy, colorful, age appropriate books are delivered directly to the child. Each book is selected for the developmental benefits it brings - and for the fun. There is no cost to registered families.
Sponsor a Child
Though there is no cost to families, there is an operational cost to run the program, and that is covered by the United Way of Freeborn County.
If funds are not available to provide all registered children with books, those children are put on a wait list.
Our wait list currently has about 60 children on it, but we are working to reduce this number to 0.
You can help us move children off the wait list by ‘sponsoring’ a child.
A donation of $30 sponsors one child’s books for 1 year.
A donation of $150 sponsors one child’s books for 5 years – the full duration of the program.
You can sponsor a child online via credit card by clicking here:
https://www.unitedwayfc.org/give
Or you can send a check to our PO BOX at:
United Way of Freeborn County
PO Box 686
Albert Lea, MN 56007
If you would like to sponsor a specific child, please add the child’s name to the ‘memo’ line of your check or in the ‘designate my gift’ area when donating online.
Thank you for your support!
Your gift helps children in Freeborn County READ UNITED.
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