MENDOTA – The North Central Regional Betterment Coalition (NCRBC) has partnered with the Dollywood Foundation to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) to all previously unserved areas of LaSalle County.  Parents and guardians of children aged 0-to-5 located from Earlville to Mendota to Utica to Streator and all towns west, including LaSalle and Peru, may now enroll for free books.  Enrolled children will receive one age appropriate book a month by mail, every month.

NCRBC has also assumed responsibility for an existing DPIL program in Bureau and Putnam counties.  Since its ‘soft’ rollout two months ago, currently over 900 area children are receiving Dolly Parton books.

“We have 3 objectives in providing Imagination Library to area families,” said NCRBC President J. Burt. “One, we want kids to have a better life, two, that may, in time, reduce the need for mental health and homeless services, and three, this may eventually improve the human talent pool for area employers.”

Research shows when 0-to-3-year-olds are exposed to more words and verbal interactions, they get a head start in life. “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library can help break the cycle of poverty that some families go through,” according to Burt.

Four years ago, NCRBC and its collaborators debuted the ‘Words Matter’ program in which every mother discharged from area maternity wards is given a set of children books along with a pamphlet explaining the importance of reading and verbally engaging their newborns. Over 2,300 book sets and pamphlets have been given out.

“Providing these services does have an ongoing cost. We are asking those who are able to consider a donation in conjunction with ‘Giving Tuesday.’  The webpage, ncrbc.net, is equipped with a donation page, which will also be offered on links in various social media platforms.”

Enrollment information can be found at imaginationlibrary.com or at ncrbc.net.