FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — Thousands of young readers in Allen County will continue to receive free books each month thanks to a $5,000 grant from Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) to the Allen County Public Library Foundation. The funding supports Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Allen County, a program that mails age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five to encourage early literacy and a love of reading.
Since its local launch in 2024, the program has already enrolled more than 8,000 children and distributed over 60,000 books across the county. Library officials say the new grant will help sustain and expand the initiative to reach even more families.
“Access to books in the early years is a key indicator of a child’s future educational success and prepares children to enter kindergarten ready to learn to read,” said Susan P. Baier, executive director of the Allen County Public Library. “We are tremendously grateful for the generous support of Indiana Michigan Power. Every day, we add children to our program, and gifts like this make it possible to continue to grow and serve the children of Allen County.”
Representatives from Indiana Michigan Power and the Allen County Public Library will gather Thursday for a photo opportunity at the Main Library, 900 Library Plaza, beginning at 3 p.m.
The Imagination Library, founded by country music legend Dolly Parton in 1995, has grown into an international literacy program that mails more than 2 million books each month to children in five countries.
