United Way of Northwest Louisiana (UWNWLA) exceeded its end-of-year $60k fundraising goal and raised $97k to support its educational program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Funds raised to support the program will sponsor approximately 2,771 children with and without special needs living in Northwest Louisiana for the following year. Individual donors, UWNWLA board members, and community partners gave to support the Imagination Library, including $25k grants from AEP SWEPCO and American Express and a $15k grant from the City of Natchitoches. UWNWLA board members sponsored seven schools with pre-K classrooms across Caddo Parish, providing them with a set of Imagination Library books and enrolling the children in the program.
On Nov. 11, 2024, UWNWLA launched its end-of-year giving campaign centered around the Imagination Library for its third consecutive year. With the support of patrons, UWNWLA mails a free, age-appropriate book each month to children from birth to age five through this program, giving children the social and developmental tools needed to be successful in school and later in life. While UWNWLA has made significant strides to place more books in children’s hands through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the organization shifted its focus to providing more resources to children with special needs for its end-of-year campaign.
Donors who gave to join the United Way Book Club have enabled UWNWLA to provide a more inclusive experience by sending books to children with and without special needs. In addition, the donations received will help provide books to pre-k classrooms, like The Community School at Holy Angels, which aids children with developmental disabilities. Donations will also fund braille and audiobooks, helping children who are blind or visually impaired and those with learning differences enjoy the fun of reading.
According to ALICE in Focus: People with Disabilities, in 2019, 82 percent of children with disabilities in Louisiana under age five lived in ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) or poverty households. Moreover, approximately seven out of ten children in Louisiana under 18 have a cognitive disability. Programs like the Imagination Library are essential to helping children with special needs, as parents often must prioritize medical expenses over the luxury of books.
“It has been our dream to evolve the Imagination Library from a book-giving program to a literacy program, targeting illiteracy in not only homes but also in classrooms and for little ones facing unique challenges,” said UWNWLA President & CEO LaToria W. Thomas. “Thank you so much to our community for helping our dream come true through your collective generosity in supporting the Imagination Library and children with special needs. Together, we are opening a world of possibilities, helping every child thrive and nurturing a love for reading.”
While the organization has had a successful campaign, UWNWLA will need to reach a larger goal of $600,000 to enroll all 33,000 children who could benefit from the Imagination Library in the organization’s ten-parish region. To learn more and give today, visit https://unitedwaynwla.org/united-way-book-club/.
To enroll a child in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, visit https://unitedwaynwla.org/our-focus/education/dolly-partons-imagination-library/.