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https://katv.com/news/local/arkansas-celebrates-milestone-with-5-millionth-book-from-dolly-partons-philanthropy-imaginationlibrary-usps-literacy-youth-education>
"LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The 5 millionth book sent to a child in Arkansas from
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library hit the mail today from the Forest Park Post
Office in Little Rock.
The excitement was present at the post office as Imagination Library board
members teamed up with the United States Postal Service to get the book "Look
Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!" one step closer to being in the hands of a kid
right here in Arkansas.
A graduate of the library, Reece Dedman, was at the post office this morning,
and he speaks about how the program impacted him.
“I love it because it inspires me, a lot because, I love my imagination,"
Dedman says.
He shares his passion with the iconic country singer Dolly Parton, who put fame
aside and put kids first when she started a free book gifting program for kinds
under the age of five to inspire a love for reading in children.
Since an Arkansas board embarked on that journey in 2005, ten years after Dolly
established the program in 1995, 84,000 kids have been impacted in the state.
Dedman was gifted 60 books, all from the program, as every kid that starts the
program as an infant is.
He says he still has all of his books, including his favorite, "Coat of Many
Colors."
“It just makes me happy inside," Dedman says.
Fred Leonard, Chair of the Arkansas Imagination Library Board, says this is a
two-generational approach to get parents to read to their kids and encourage
kids to learn to read.
“I think reading is essential to the success of everyday life," Leonard says."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
