Dolly Parton's Imagination Library - Grand Traverse Region
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library GTR (DPIL GTR) and other local affiliates around the country work closely with the national Dollywood Foundation to get books to children each month. The Foundation purchases and mails the books, making the cost-effective delivery of high-quality books possible. An expert panel of early childhood professionals chooses the books, ensuring that they are age appropriate and aligned with a child’s developmental needs. Each selection is accompanied by guidance for parents as they read the story to their child, encouraging daily reading and early skill development.
As a regional affiliate, DPIL GTR is responsible for registering eligible children in the Grand Traverse Region as well as for raising the money to pay for the books these children receive. The annual cost to buy and mail monthly books is $31.20 per child ($2.60 per book). Our program is funded by grants and donations and run entirely by a dedicated team of volunteers. All monies raised by our nonprofit organization, a 501 (c)(3), go directly to buying books for local children.
Since we started in 2016, DPIL GTR has funded the mailing of monthly books to over 6,100 local children and families (currently enrolled and graduates), that is more than 200,000 books and counting!