INSPIRING IMAGINATION. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program has given away 200 million books since 1995. (Photo via DollyParton.com)

Over the past two years, more than 37,000 books have been delivered to young children in Eau Claire County as part of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. Now, a new fundraiser has been announced to ensure that those books keep coming forever.

Eau Claire’s Family Resource Center – which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this fall – announced this week that it is launching a $1.6 million endowment fundraising campaign. If the campaign meets its goal, the endowment – which would be maintained by the Eau Claire Community Foundation – will fund the early literacy program in perpetuity.

The local branch of the country music superstar’s Imagination Library program was launched in October 2022 with the support of the Eau Claire-based Pablo Foundation. “Over the past two years, enrollment has grown significantly, rapidly nearing funding capacity,” the Family Resource Center said in a media release.

That’s why, with the support of the Pablo Foundation, the Family Resource Center recently pursued a campaign readiness study to gauge whether the community will support the necessary fundraiser. The answer was “yes,” so the FRC’s board approved a contract with BrandRaise, a nonprofit fundraising and branding firm, to pursue the $1.6 million endowment.

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With the establishment of an endowment, we can ensure that children in Eau Claire County continue to receive high-quality books in their early years, giving them a strong foundation for success in school and beyond.

DR. JENNIFER EDDY

family resource center executive director

"Thanks to the Pablo Foundation’s generosity and our community’s enthusiasm, we quickly reached a pivotal moment in the life of this program,” said Jennifer Eddy, M.D., executive director of the Family Resource Center. “With the establishment of an endowment, we can ensure that children in Eau Claire County continue to receive high-quality books in their early years, giving them a strong foundation for success in school and beyond.”

According to the media release, “Research shows that the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, the world’s largest literacy initiative for children ages 0-5, increases the number of books in children’s homes, fosters daily parent-child reading, and improves kindergarten readiness. Each child enrolled in the program receives an age-appropriate book once per month in the mail, at no cost to families. Through its local affiliates like the FRC, the program supports literacy for every child, regardless of income.”

First launched in Parton’s home state of Tennessee in 1995, the Imagination Library has distributed more than 200 million books worldwide. 

The Pablo Foundation has provided a gift of more than $500,000 to the project, which covers $50,000 of the endowment as well as funds the Imagination Library program through 2027.

“The Pablo Foundation is committed to transformational change in Eau Claire, which is exactly what this education initiative represents,” said MaiVue Xiong, the foundation’s executive director. “This innovative multi-year project supports our trusted non-profit partner, the Family Resource Center, as they work to make the Imagination Library self-sustaining in our community.”

To learn more about how to support the endowment campaign or to get involved, contact the Family Resource Center at imagination@frcec.org.