Sullivan County Imagination Library press release: The Sullivan County Imagination Library was recently awarded a $3,000 Community Initiative grant from the United Way of Greater Kingsport (UWGK). This grant will promote literacy by providing funding for 2,857 free, age-appropriate Imagination Library books to be mailed to Sullivan County preschool children from birth to age five. This is the sixth consecutive year the UWGK has supported the Sullivan County Imagination Library. Over those years, the UWGK has sponsored a total of 17,142 books for local preschool children.
The Imagination Library inspires a love of reading and learning in children. Children who receive the books each month become excited about reading the books with their family and friends. The work of the Imagination Library is in keeping with one of UWGK’s important community impact initiatives: promoting and advancing Early Grade Reading. The key objective of the Imagination Library is to help children and youth succeed, by creating more literacy-rich homes in the community. In literacy-rich homes, children are read to frequently, and they have access to age-appropriate books, as well as a variety of books.
All Tennessee children between birth and age five are eligible to receive free Imagination Library books, without regard to parental income. To register your child, go to www.imaginationlibrary.com, or pick up a brochure at your local library. The Sullivan County Imagination Library (SCIL) is an all-volunteer non-profit organization, with no paid staff. 96% of all contributions are used for the books we mail each month. You can sponsor the entire library of 60 books for one child for only $63. That is only $1.05 per book, including postage. All donations are matched by the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation, the Imagination Library’s funding partner in the state of Tennessee. For more information about the SCIL, or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.scimaginationlibrary.org.