COLUMBUS - The state's only Imagination Library program is going strong in Columbus.
In its second year, the Columbus Area United Way-sponsored program has increased its participation.
“It's going so well. We have over 950 kids in the program now, which is great. We were anticipating we would reach 1,000 kids, and we think we can do that in 2006,” said Pat Heimes, executive director of the United Way. There were about 700 children in the program last year.
Imagination Library was launched in Columbus in August 2004 and offers children the opportunity to receive a free book each month in the mail until they turn 5 years old. The program was started by Dolly Parton's Dollywood Foundation.
Heimes said because Columbus has the only Imagination Library in Nebraska that she has had inquiries from out-of-town visitors about it. She said she has received calls from people in Omaha and Lincoln who, after visiting family and friends in Columbus whose children are a part of the program, ask how they can get involved.
Some communities who want to get the program started have financial constraints that make it impossible for them to do so, Heimes said. Locally, it costs $27 per child per year to have the Imagination Library in Columbus. It is supported by the United Way's Kids Count program. Funding for Kids Count comes from donations that exceed the United Way's campaign goal.
Dee Condon, reading coordinator with Columbus Public Schools, said the Imagination Library is a wonderful program because it promotes that “not only should kids start reading early, but parents should read to kids daily.”
Condon said sitting down with a child to read a book creates a great bonding experience between the two and can help a child form a life-long reading habit.
Parents with children under 5 who live in Columbus or who work at Cargill Meat Solutions in Schuyler can register their kids for the program. Registration can be done by downloading a form from the United Way Web site at columbusunitedway.com. Forms can also be obtained at local preschools. All new babies who are born at Columbus Community Hospital also get information about the program in care packages they receive when leaving the hospital.
Reach Julie Blum at 563-7535 or jblum@
columbustelegram.com.
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