More than 30,000 Hamilton County children will keep getting free books in the mail each month, even after the woman who made it possible died this week.
Dolly Parton died Aug. 25 in Nashville at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer. But the Imagination Library she founded in 1995 will continue operating locally, the program's manager told WLWT on Wednesday.
"We will continue to do what we've been doing, making sure this program continues to be free for our families, whatever it takes," said Kristy High, program manager for the Hamilton County Imagination Library at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
High has managed the local program for four years. The Hamilton County Imagination Library has mailed more than two million books to families since launching in August 2015, according to Cincinnati Children's.
How it works here
Any child from birth to age five living in Hamilton County can enroll for free. Each child receives one new, age-appropriate book by mail every month until their fifth birthday. That's 60 books total.
Hamilton County Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas helped bring the program to the county through a partnership between the county, Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Local sponsors include PNC Foundation Grow Up Great, the Farmer Family Foundation, the Scripps Howard Fund, Cincinnati Public Schools and the Hamilton County Commissioners.
Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine, who helped expand the program statewide, said Parton believed the Imagination Library would be her lasting legacy. DeWine told WKRC on Aug. 25 that the work would go on: "We're not going to give up. We're going to keep this going."
Ohio is the top state in the country for Imagination Library enrollment, and the program has been available in all Ohio zip codes since November 2020. Nationally, one in six children under age five now receives a free book each month from the program, which operates in five countries with more than 3.1 million children registered.
How Hyde Park and Oakley families can enroll
Parents and caregivers can register online at ohioimaginationlibrary.org or in person at any Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County branch, including the Hyde Park Branch and the Oakley Branch. No computer access is needed to sign up.
For questions or address changes, call 513-636-4271 or email [email protected].
Parton founded the program in Sevier County, Tennessee, inspired by her father, who could not read. During a 2022 visit to Ohio, she called the state like a "second state" to her.
Parton's family has asked fans to honor her legacy by donating to the Imagination Library. Contributions to the Hamilton County program can be made at giving.cincinnatichildrens.org. Enrollment is open year-round.
