For many of us, we Learned a love of reading when we were young. We had a parent or another adult who read to us, and through those stories, we were able to live a thousand different lives, go on adventures, learn new things, and discover amazing facts about the world surrounding us.

For many children, this is not their reality. Access to reading materials can be a challenge for many families due to any number of reasons; perhaps there aren't funds to pay for books or there isn’t time to take children to the library. Whatever the reason, access to books is a key component in developing early literacy skills.

Inspired by her father's inability to read and write, Dolly Parton started the Imagination Library (DPIL) in 1995 to serve the children of her hometown. Today, this program spans five countries and gives over 3 million free, high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to children aged 0-5 around the world. And after it was discovered that every county surrounding us had a program, except Nevada County, the Nevada City Rotary Club Foundation took action, and we are excited to announce that DPIL is coming to Nevada County! We have partnered with First 5 Nevada County to support the launch of this amazing program and spread a love of reading with our friends and neighbors. First 5 Nevada County’s mission is to promote the importance of early childhood through investing in complex systems of care, empowering families, and strengthening the community. Promoting early childhood literacy is one of the key stepping stones to school readiness and future success.

How can you help?

To publicly Launch this literacy program for Nevada County, DPIL recommends we secure two years of funding. We need to secure $20,000 before we can start enrolling any of the 4,200 children aged 0-5 in our community and will need annual donors to help ensure a Lasting future for the program in our community. The funding for this program will mainly be provided by donations, grants, and contributions from Nevada County service clubs, residents, businesses, and organizations. Here's how you can help us today:

•      Become a recurring annual sponsor at any level to support program growth and maintenance.

•      Encourage other community Leaders to communicate the value of DPIL for children and families.

•      Help connect us with other potential community partners about financially supporting this program.

•      Donations are tax deductible!