Clayton County Imagination Library mails 10,000 books

Nearly 10,000 new books have arrived at the homes of Clayton County children over the past two years, thanks to the local chapter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. 

The program is hosted by the Clayton County Foundation for the Future, which is celebrating its 20^th anniversary in 2024. To date, 676 children younger than 5 have received books at no cost to their families thanks to generous donations to the Imagination Library’s fund. “We are proud of this impact and are excited to reach even more Clayton County children,” says the Foundation’s executive director Emily Sadewasser. 

Sadewasser has been leading efforts to raise $80,000 for the program, which is free to families but costs the chapter $2.20 per book. The current goal is to enroll at least half of the 1,500 eligible children in the county coverage area and cover associated program expenses for the next 3 years. Long-term, the Foundation plans to build an endowment to support the initiative.

Support has come from funders like the McDonough Foundation, Upper Mississippi Gaming Corporation, and the Theisen’s More For Your Community program, as well as from individual donors, like the Dan Barton Family Endowment, the Watson-Rugland Family Endowment for Clayton County, the Dr. Russell and Juanita Loven Endowment, the Andrea Bockenstedt Live Your Life Endowment and the Keith and Kathy Garms Family Endowment, who partner with the Foundation for their charitable giving.

Local organizations like the Beta Alpha Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, Clayton County Womenade, and the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque have also contributed to the program’s success.

“We are extremely grateful for the response to a letter we mailed at the end of 2023, which resulted in over $1,300 in gifts,” says Sadewasser. That amounts to 590 books, which is nearly the entire 60-book home library for 10 children.

Studies have shown that a middle-class child enters first grade with over 1,000 hours of one-on-one picture book reading, compared with an average of just 25 hours for a child from a low-income family. “Our chapter of the Imagination Library will inspire an early love of reading in Clayton County children, regardless of socio-economic status,” says Sadewasser.

The Imagination Library provides one high-quality, age-appropriate book per month to registered children from birth to age 5 living in districts served by Clayton County schools (Central, Clayton Ridge, Ed-Co, MFL MarMac, Starmont and Postville) at no cost to families. Partnerships with schools, libraries, and child care centers are key to increasing enrollment. The goals are to:

• Promote early literacy and language skills, kindergarten readiness, and social-emotional development.
• Encourage and inspire family engagement as children and their caregivers discover the magic of reading together.

Parents and legal guardians can enroll their children or learn at the Foundation's website. To request information, email Sadewasser at ccff@dbqfoundation.org. 

Hosting the Imagination Library is one of the many ways the Foundation is building a strong Clayton County for today, tomorrow and forever. Supporting children and families is key to this work – and it doesn’t stop at providing books. 

“We convened partners to conduct a countywide child care market study last year which resulted in the creation of an action plan for employers and providers early this spring,” said Sadewasser. This summer, thanks to a partnership with an anonymous donor, the Foundation is offering $1,500 grants to nonprofit child care providers in the county. And as part of its 2024 grant cycle, the Foundation awarded grants for infant and toddler basic needs, a summer reading program, conservation and arts experiences for youth, and more.  

The Foundation offers many opportunities to improve quality of life by addressing an array of local issues. To learn more about how you can establish a fund or make a gift that impacts your community, contact Sadewasser at 563-880-6044.