System likely to become named storm by this weekend
June 30, 2021
UPDATE: Suspect in murder at Houma apartment complex apprehended in Thibodaux
June 30, 2021
An amazing 300,000 books and counting!
Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence (TFAE) has reached a new milestone. As of June 2021, TFAE has funded more than 300,000 books to Terrebonne Parish children through the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Through this program, all registered children in Terrebonne Parish ages newborn to five years old receive one new, age-appropriate book every month delivered to their home at no cost to their family. Currently, more than 3,300 local children are enrolled in the program while another 7,442 children have already “graduated.”
As Funding Champion, TFAE funds the cost of these books so that families can enjoy them at no cost. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was first brought to Terrebonne Parish by TFAE in 2012. Since then, many local businesses, organizations, and individuals have donated and contributed to its success. With their help, TFAE has funded 307,001 books in our community.
“These books continue to have a tremendous impact on our community by increasing our children’s literacy skills, social skills, and comprehension,” Ashlee Barahona, TFAE Executive Director, said. “Join us in celebrating the Library that Terrebonne Parish built. Because of the generosity of our community, so many children have been introduced to the love of reading at an early age. Science has proven, introducing children to reading at an early age paves the way for a successful future.
Visit our website and learn how you can help invest in the little minds of today, the future of tomorrow.
The program was first launched in 1995 by Dolly Parton in Sevier County, Tennessee where she grew up. It became such a success that in 2000, a national replication effort was underway by The Dollywood Foundation. Under her program, one million books a month are now mailed to children in the United States, Australia, Canada, Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
To register a Terrebonne Parish child aged newborn to five in the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, visit www.tfae.org/imagination-library. If you’d like to support our local Imagination Library with a donation, please visit www.tfae.org or contact Ashlee Barahona at ashlee@tfae.org or 985-868-5881.
