As your chapter wraps up the 2019-2020 academic year, don’t forget about our partnership with Sigma Tau Delta supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for the international service project. We certainly understand that the COVID-19 health pandemic may have interrupted your fundraising plans or made donating money more difficult, but it is important now, more so than ever, that we continue doing our part to put books in the hands of children. Let us come together now in this time of social distancing to create a sense of community as we work together as a Society to further childhood literacy efforts.
What is the Imagination Library’s Impact on Childhood Literacy?
Dolly Parton began the Imagination Library in 1995 to encourage early childhood literacy in her home county in East Tennessee. The goal was to provide high-quality, age-appropriate books to all children, regardless of their family’s financial situation, from infancy to kindergarten. Since then, the Imagination Library has mailed over 120 million books to children in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia!
Other important statistics you should know about the Imagination Library:
- It costs $25 to sponsor a child and provide them with twelve books over the course of the year. This covers the cost of the books and the shipping. No administrative costs are taken from this program!
- Over 1.4 million children currently are being served by the Imagination Library.
- Books are in English but two books in each age group are bilingual Spanish. Braille and audio books for visually impaired preschool children are available through a partnership with the American Printing House for the Blind.
There are statistics and studies showing that enrollment in the program drastically improves early childhood literacy, a skill that will benefit these children for the rest of their lives!
NEHS Participation
All money raised will be recorded by NEHS, listed by chapter, and presented to the Imagination Library in a single payment. Checks made out to National English Honor Society may be mailed to the NEHS Central Office through May 22, 2020. Or you can contact the Central Office for information on how to make your donation via credit or debit card.
Send Checks to:
National English Honor Society
Attn: Imagination Library
Department of English
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
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