PAULDING — The Paulding County Area Foundation has provided a $7,500 grant to the county’s United Way organization to support book distribution.
The money will be used to support the Ohio Governor Imagination Library and Dolly Parton Library in which more than 630 children are participating through the United Way of Paulding County. Each month each registered child receives a free book.
According to UW of Paulding County Director Lora Lyons, the agency hopes to expand the program in 2022 as 45% of the eligible children in Paulding County are registered.
In 2021, more than 7,300 books were distributed in Paulding County, with the Paulding County Area Foundation’s support through grants playing a significant role, according to Lyons.
Since the program’s creation in 1995, more than 150 million books have been mailed to children across the United States and across the world to five different countries. In 2019, Gov. Mike DeWine announced the founding of the Ohio Governor Imagination Library (OGIL) which pledged to bring the program to every county in Ohio.
Spearheaded by Fran DeWine — the governor’s wife — that mission has now been completed. As part of Gov. DeWine’s new goals, Lyons explains, the OGIL has found funding to cover half the cost of the books so that local organizations, such as United Way of Paulding County, can sustain the program in their county.
“Early childhood education is essential to successful learning in life, and the quicker these children have access to books the faster they begin to learn and comprehend,” Lyons stated. “We simply cannot thank the Paulding County Area Foundation enough for their continued support of this program and the ongoing investment in our children’s future.”
Persons who would like their child to participate in the Dolly Parton/Ohio Governor Imagination Library, are asked to visit https://ohioimaginationlibrary.org/ to register their child.
Children newborn to age five are eligible to participate at no charge, no matter their socioeconomic status.
