There are countless ways the United Way of Southwest Minnesota (UWSWMN) impacts our communities. The program that has made a difference in my family’s life is the Imagination Library program. My two children, Georgia (6) and Boden (3), have been enjoying the program since they were born. Georgia has graduated from the program; however, she still enjoys seeing Boden’s book come in the mail monthly.

A little history for you. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program was launched to benefit the children of her home county (Sevier) in East Tennessee. Dolly’s vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families by providing them with the gift of a specially selected book each month. By mailing high quality, age-appropriate books directly to their home, she wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. This program would also ensure that every child would have access to books in their home, regardless of their family’s income.

The program became so popular that in the year 2000, Parton announced that she would make it available to any community willing to partner with her and financially support their program locally. In 2005, UWSWMN became the local affiliate for the region. The program is free to families with children ages birth to five in qualifying counties but depends on donations to fund the cost of the books and delivery.

UWSWMN has distributed 464,937 books to local children since becoming an affiliate in 2005. The program is available in the following school districts: Canby, Clarkfield, Dawson/Boyd, Echo, Fulda, Hendricks, Ivanhoe, Lake Benton, Lakeview, Lynd, Marshall, Milroy, Minneota, Murray County Central, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, Tracy, Westbrook-Walnut Grove, and Yellow Medicine East. Currently, 2,305 children receive a book in the mail each month from these areas.

Our home is located in the Tracy school district, which includes the communities of Balaton, Garvin, and Tracy. It’s wonderful to know that 187 children in my home district receive a book in the mail each month through this program. We appreciate how this program brings us together as a family through learning new things, cultivating our imaginations, and overall instilling the love of reading at a young age.

We are nearing the end of our campaign. Thank you to all who have already made donations, whether that is a monetary donation, volunteer time, or in-kind donations. They are all appreciated! If you have yet to donate, please consider a donation of $30+ (the cost of the Imagination Library program per child) prior to Jan. 31.

To learn more about the UWSWMN or make a donation, please visit our website www.UnitedWaySWMN.org.

Donations can also be mailed to UWSWMN, PO Box 41, Marshall, MN 56258.

— Molly Peterson is a board member of the United Way of Southwest Minnesota board member