PRESQUE ISLE — The United Way of Aroostook celebrated a milestone the first week of December when it marked 60,000 books delivered to preschool-aged children in Aroostook County through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Contributed photo
NEW BOOK — Preschooler Payton Caron, Presque Isle resident and daughter of Sarah Duncan and Chad Caron, shows off her Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library book at the recent 69th annual Rotary Auction. 
The program, which is a nationwide initiative, had its start locally in 2010 and puts a new, age-appropriate book in the hands of children each and every month, free of charge to families in Aroostook.
Since its inception in the county, the program has grown exponentially due to the support of the UWA and its partners. All four county hospitals promote the program, encouraging and assisting mothers of newborns to register their children.
“Reading with our children is so important. It’s a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with your children and to open their worlds encouraging imagination and helping them to learn and grow,” said Tami Kilcollins, community relations coordinator at Cary Medical Center in Caribou.
“We’re so fortunate to have the Dolly’s Imagination Library project right here in Aroostook County, and as a hospital, we love having the opportunity to introduce the program to new parents,” she said.
Along with Cary, The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle, Houlton Regional Hospital and Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent, the United Way partners with area Rotary and Kiwanis clubs to fund the program. Currently, UWA is sending out over 2,000 books a month, which is almost 70 percent of the children eligible for the program.
“We recognize the importance of early childhood literacy, so we were eager to participate and support this program,” said United Way Executive Director Sherry Locke. “By investing in the books for our children when they are young, we are investing in our future. The total cost of the program is roughly $50,000 per year, but well worth the investment.”
The UWA and its partners are always looking for creative ways to fund this program, along with any donations individuals may make to support it. Recently the Presque Isle Rotary Club included the UWA and the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library as one of its proceed partners during the 69th annual Rotary Auction, dedicating at least $2,500 to the program.
“We are so grateful for the support the community gives the UWA every day,” Locke said. “Being a proceed partner with Rotary is just another example of how when we work together, we strengthen our whole community.”
For more information about Imagination Library, contact the United Way at 764-5197.
