The legacy of the late, legendary singer Dolly Parton lives on in Narrabri Shire, a world away from where her Imagination Library began in Sevier County, Tennessee, in 1995.
More than 30 years later, her dream of putting books into the hands of young children continues to make a positive difference around the world, including in the Wee Waa district, where community support is helping bring the joy of reading to children.
Last week, the Wee Waa Bowling Club proudly presented the Narrabri Shire Dolly Parton Imagination Library committee with a $500 cheque to support local families and boost children’s literacy.
The donation is part of an impressive $25,000 raised recently by the committee at the Harvest Moon fundraiser, which will see 2,770 books delivered to local children at no cost to their families. (See Harvest Moon story and photos in this edition)
Narrabri Shire falls in the lowest 25th percentile for literacy in NSW and a dedicated local committee has banded together, striving to improve the statistic and work towards a bright future.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a free early-literacy program that encourages a love of reading among young children while lifting literacy rates and helping children prepare for school.
Launched locally in January 2022, the program is delivered by United Way Australia in partnership with local organisations. In Narrabri Shire, the program has been supported by Narrabri Shire Council, Narrabri Shire Libraries, Narrabri Rotary Club and community supporters, reaching children right across the shire’s towns, villages and communities.
There are now more than 100 children participating in the program across Wee Waa, Pilliga and Gwabegar.
Every child in Narrabri Shire, from birth to five years, is eligible to receive a free, age-appropriate book in the post each month through the program.
Each book is selected by a specialist panel to support their learning and development as they grow.
The program aims to help children and families build a love of books and make reading part of everyday life.
By providing children with their own books at home, the initiative helps foster early language skills, imagination and a strong foundation for learning.
In Australia, the program relies entirely on community support and funding to help cover the cost of books and postage.
Committee members Jocellin Jansson and Julie Drake were presented with the $500 donation cheque by bowling club director Wendy Vankuyk and the club’s new manager Mark White, and they thanked the club for its support.
“The program has big outcomes when it comes to helping children,” said committee member Jocellin Jansson.
“When a child gets their own unique parcel, the book arriving in the mail every month, it feels like Christmas.
“It’s not only exciting to receive the gift of a book every month, but if a child struggles to read or keep up when they get to school, then that impacts their confidence and self-belief.
“Around 30 per cent of children start school without basic literacy and studies show that 90 per cent of those children never catch up.
“We want to help our children here in the Narrabri Shire be better prepared for school and help build confidence and success through this program. The research into the success of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program shows that, overwhelmingly, that is what it does.
“Everyone needs to be able to read and write to work, and increasingly so in the future.”
Wee Waa Bowling Club director Wendy Vankuyk agreed.
“I spent 15 years as the librarian at St Joseph’s (Primary School) and saw the importance of literacy and letting the children’s imaginations run wild,” she said.
“The Wee Waa Bowling Club has long supported children’s sport and education in the town; it’s important we support this – without the people of the town, we wouldn’t be a club.”
Local Imagination Library committee member, Julie Drake highlighted the special family and social connections generated by reading aloud with children to help build language and literacy skills, and she stressed that the program didn’t cost families a cent.
“We want every child to join; it’s free, from birth to 5-year-olds.”
The $25,000 raised is thanks to the generosity of sponsors, donated auction items including a magnificent electric buggy from Hutcheon and Pearce, ticket sales and contributions by local businesses and individuals to the Harvest Moon fundraiser.
When asked what the Imagination Library’s founder, the late Dolly Parton, might think of Narrabri Shire residents and businesses rallying support to gift children free books, committee member Jocellin Jansson responded: “I think she would be thrilled because she grew up in a small rural community, and she started it because of her father.”
Dolly Parton launched the Imagination Library in 1995 in honour of her father, Robert Lee Parton, who was unable to read or write, explains the Imagination Library website.
Seeing the challenges her father faced because of his limited literacy inspired Dolly to help give children opportunities he had missed out on.
Dolly’s vision was to put books into the hands of children from an early age, regardless of their family’s background or circumstances, and encourage parents and children to enjoy reading together.
The program began in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, in the United States, and grew into an international initiative that now helps children in many countries develop a love of reading from birth.
A letter from Dolly on the Imagination Library website states: “Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams. Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission.”
To register a child visit this link: https://imaginationlibrary.com/au/affiliate/BBNARRABRI/
To make a tax deductible donation to the Narrabri Shire program, click this link: https://donate.unitedway.com.au/donations-narrabri?mc_cid=323fab4a19&mc_eid=dcc58f63b0
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