More than 500 Chestermere children receive a book in the mail each month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. A Sept. 25 campaign will ask residents to help keep those deliveries going. Local program information
The City of Chestermere has proclaimed Friday, Sept. 25, Dolly Parton and Imagination Library Day, according to local program volunteer Kim Soderberg McRae. The recognition coincides with Give Like Dolly Day, an initiative announced by the Dollywood Foundation.
The Imagination Library mails one age-appropriate book each month to enrolled children from birth until age five. Families do not pay for the books. Local partners help fund the program and make it available in their communities.
Chestermere’s program began in 2021. McRae reports that more than 16,000 books have been sent to local children since then. With more than 500 children currently enrolled, the September campaign draws attention to a commitment that continues every month.
Local organizers are suggesting a donation of $9.25 on Sept. 25. Residents may give a different amount, or mark the day without donating by wearing pink or sharing information about the program. The online giving page is set up for Chestermere’s program.
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995, inspired by her father’s inability to read and write. It has since expanded beyond her home community and now operates in Canada and four other countries.
For Chestermere families with preschool children, the result is simple: a book addressed to their child, arriving at home each month. The Sept. 25 campaign recognizes the local effort behind that delivery.