This holiday season, Lifeline, Inc. has set a goal of raising $8,000 for the Lake County Imagination Library — enough to pay for books for all enrolled children for January, officials report. Launched in 2020, the Lake County Imagination Library is an affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio and the International Dolly Parton Imagination Library. To improve kindergarten readiness, instill a love of learning and bolster literacy rates, the program provides one new book each month mailed to children under the age of 5 at no charge to the family. “And those free books can make a big difference for children as they prepare for kindergarten and life,” said Lifeline Executive Director Carrie Dotson, adding developing literacy begins at birth. According to the Imagination Library, by the age of 3, a child’s brain is already 80 percent developed, and by the time children enter kindergarten, they already know thousands of words to succeed in the classroom. Additional research has shown that children with 25 books in their homes complete an average of two additional years of schooling compared to their peers without books in the home. A report by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library suggests that there are men and women throughout Ohio who struggle to read food labels, prescription directions, and bus schedules — each being one of 36 million American adults who are considered functionally illiterate. Moreover, a child who can’t read is four times more likely to drop out of high school. Ohio’s Future at Work found that 24 percent of adults don’t have a high school diploma. Additionally, Seeds of Literacy found that 87 percent of the jobs available on OhioMeansJobs.com are closed to someone without a high school diploma, “dramatically reducing the chances of someone who is functionally illiterate finding a job that will give them the independence to support themselves and their families.” Through programs like the Imagination Library, there is a path out of generational poverty through increased literacy opportunities for children, Dotson noted. “As a local community action agency, we often work with adults who struggle with functional illiteracy and we know how many challenges that presents for them,” she said. “If we can help prevent that, we’re thrilled to be able to do so.” Lifeline actively outreaches and enrolls new children weekly and then each month places the book orders and pays the invoices, Dotson added. Currently, over 5,700 Lake County children receive a new book each month. Lifeline splits the cost of each book with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio and all funds raised through the holiday giving program directly benefit Lake County’s children. Currently, over 7,000 Lake County children receive a new book each month — 65 percent of all eligible children in Lake County. “While the program is free to the participating families, it isn’t free to our communities, as Lake County’s Imagination Library pays the cost of over $7,000 each month to provide the books and mailing to our Lake County children,” Dotson said. “But we’re incredibly blessed in Lake County to have such a generous community. “Raising nearly $100,000 to support this program is daunting, but we truly believe in the impact the program makes on children and families and we are very grateful for the support we receive.” Lifeline’s Lake County Imagination Library is supported by the United Way of Lake County, and the Western Reserve Junior Service League through corporate event sponsors and individual donors. Parton started the Imagination Library in Sevier County, Tennessee, in 1995 as a way of encouraging reading and childhood literacy. In the past 25 years, the program has spread across the country and overseas to the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland with the help of local champions. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio was inspired by First Lady Fran DeWine’s “passion to improve the lives of Ohio’s children” and her own family’s experiences with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Families can register to receive books at www.lclifeline.org/imagination-library/ by clicking the “Enroll Today” button or by contacting Lifeline Program Coordinator Rebekah Jones at 440-354-2148. Individuals who wish to “give the gift of reading” this holiday season by donating to the Imagination Library in Lake County can mail a check payable to Lifeline’s Imagination Library to PO Box 496 in Painesville, Ohio 44077, or give online at lifeline.rallyup.com/giftofreading. Dotson noted a gift of $25 will provide books for an entire year to two Lake County children, while a $100 donation will provide books for an entire year to eight children.