TFAE’s Imagination Library Reaches 250,000 Books Funded

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An amazing 250,000 books and counting!

 

Terrebonne Foundation for Academic Excellence (TFAE) has reached a new milestone. As of February 2020, TFAE has funded more than 250,000 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 6,096 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 251,535 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,” Katie Portier, TFAE Executive Director, said. “By putting books in the hands of our young readers, we can help prepare them for their next journey into school.”


 

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 Katie Portier at katie@tfae.org or 985-868-5881.