The Dolly Parton Imagination Library launched in 1995. Locally, Beth Conner successfully spearheaded the launch in White County in July of 2024. A year and three months in, more than half of White County youngsters under the age of 5 are signed up and receiving books monthly. Conner updated Carmi Kiwanis Thursday on the program.
After serving as an educator for 25 years, Conner and her daughter Alexis opened Little Sprouts Learning Center in 2022 and that move further underscored Conner’s mission to get the communities tiniest off to a better start.
Owning the center has given me an eye-opening view of the lack of resources available to the youngest members of our communities. I taught 3rd grade for several years, so I was aware that it’s just an issue for families not having books in their homes. But when you think of the youngest members of our society, the kids who aren’t in school yet…there are kids in White County that have no books in their home. They just don’t. Parents are concerned with how to put food on the table or how to pay the electric bill so there’s no money for books. That’s why I’m really passionate about this program.
Conner sits on the steering committee of Read SI, the local affiliate covering 18 counties in southern Illinois and through her efforts, 351 of 677 kids under the age of 5 are signed up and receive a free book per month through their fifth birthday. It’s the second highest enrollment of all 18 counties.
Conner says the state provides about half of the funding with local communities including businesses, organizations, schools, individuals are responsible for the other half. Conner says right now White County is about $1,300 shy of having fulfilled its funding to sustain the program for the next year. The cost to sponsor just one child for a year is only $16. You can make donations and sign youngsters up by contacting Conner at Little Sprouts directly for help. She can be reached at (618) 382-7604 or contact the center through it’s website at https://www.littlesproutscarmi.com. You can also learn more about the program and sign up a little one or to donate at https://www.givesi.org/readsi/.
While she had the floor, Conner also took a moment to promote the PAWS program which helps underprivileged 4th – 12th graders at Christmas.
We serve about 250 kids in grades 4-12 in that program. The bank does The Giving Tree and that’s for grades 3 and under and it’s wonderful. I’m telling you, we’ve got a lot of kids in grades 4-12 who need help as well, especially in this economy. So the forms are due tomorrow back to the schools and then we will have the wish lists typed up.
If you’d like to help with the PAWS program, you can do that by reaching out to Conner as well. She welcomes folks to pick up a wish list or just to make a donation to the program.