HANCOCK COUNTY — Eighteen-month-old Annie Claus loves to grab a book and curl up in her mother’s lap for story time.
The Greenfield girl has amassed quite a collection of books in her young lifetime, including a couple from Hancock County’s Imagination Library program.
Imagination Library is an early childhood literacy program launched by the Dollywood Foundation in 1995, guided by the vision of Dolly Parton.
It aims to send an age-appropriate book to the home of every child, once a year, from birth through their fifth birthday.
The local Imagination Library program was launched in 2016 through a partnership between the Hancock County Community Foundation and the Hancock County Public Library.
The program recently reached a major milestone when the 1,000th participant graduated.
“This is a really special achievement,” said the Hancock County Public Library’s director, Dave Gray, who shared the happy news at the Hancock County Public Library’s board meeting this month.
According to Gray, a graduate is any child who has entered the program and then graduated upon turning 5 years old.
Six-year-old Kayla Ball was among the first to graduate from Hancock County’s program.
The young girl served as the “face” of Hancock County’s Imagination Library throughout her five years with the program. She’s since handed those duties over to Claus.
Emily Wilson, advancement officer for the Hancock County Community Foundation, said the two girls are shining examples of what the Imagination Library is all about.
“We can’t thank our donors enough for seeing the value in this program and supporting it all along the way,” she said.
Local florist Denna Gundrum, who took the lead in championing for a local Imagination Library six years ago, said she was ecstatic to hear more than 1,000 children have now graduated from the county program.
“Oh my gosh it’s a thrill,” she said. “It’s thrilling that the community has reached out and supported the program and that families are utilizing it,” she said.
As a grandmother of seven, Gundrum said some of her favorite moments as a parent and grandparent have been reading to her child and grandchildren.
“Part of the most special times of the day have been getting to read to them,” she said.
Gundrum said reading to children very early on not only provides a great source of bonding, but also an early gateway to a lifetime love of reading.
“Early education and reading is everything, so when kids do go to school they are prepared,” she said. “They know how to hold a book and they enjoy how much fun reading or being read to can be.”
Gundrum is thankful that the local community embraced the efforts to establish an Imagination Library in Hancock County.
The community foundation took the lead role in funding and worked with the community to build a $2 million endowment to cover book expenses and sustain the program, which should continue to provide age-appropriate books to children born in Hancock County in perpetuity, until each child reaches his or her fifth birthday.
Gundrum commends not only those who initially donated or continue to donate to sustain the program, but also the local healthcare providers, preschool teachers and others who continue to promote the program to families.
“Many of the sources to let people know are very active in getting that information to new babies. Everybody is on board the Imagination Library train,” said Gundrum. “It feels good to know that we’re helping our community offer free support and education to our children, because they’re our future.”
For more information about Imagination Library or how to support the program, visit ImaginationLibrary.com.
