Dublin 24 Child Receives Special Dolly Bookmark and Meets Dolly Parton

A lucky child from Dublin 24 has won a magical Dolly bookmark!
Dublin 24 Child Receives Special Dolly Bookmark, Meets Dolly Parton in Celebration of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Milestone

As part of Dolly’s “200 Million Reasons to Celebrate” initiative, one lucky Dublin 24 child has found a special bookmark hiding between the pages of their September book. This bookmark was one of just seven hidden worldwide across 2 million books to celebrate the gifting of 200 million books worldwide through The Imagination Library. This local child will have the incredible opportunity to meet the legendary Dolly Parton herself in a Zoom call next month. Moreover, the child will also receive a personally signed letter from Dolly, an autographed photograph, and four coveted Dollywood Theme Park tickets.

A Magical Dolly Bookmark Win

Not only is this a great occasion for the lucky family, but it also brings joy to the entire community. The Dollywood Foundation will generously donate £2,000 GBP on behalf of the child to us, their Local Imagination Library Partner, as an expression of gratitude to those whom Dolly fondly refers to as the true heroes of her programme.

The Imagination Library is an early childhood book-gifting programme that delivers a high-quality, free book to children every month from birth to the age of five. At the Childhood Development Initiative, we are thrilled to have one of our children selected as a recipient of this remarkable gift. CDI enrols between 4,700 and 5,000 local children each month in this invaluable programme, benefiting 72 to 75% of eligible children in Dublin 24.

Childhood Development Initiative’s Role in Receiving the Gift

“We were absolutely delighted and brimming with excitement throughout the entire organisation, as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is one of our most far-reaching programmes,” exclaimed Clare Bohan, the literacy coordinator for the Childhood Development Initiative. “To realise that one of the children, selected from more than two million worldwide, is one of our own is truly incredible. We weren’t expecting to have a recipient right here.”

Bohan continued, “To know that we played a part in gifting 200 million books worldwide is an incredibly positive and exciting achievement. It makes us feel like we are part of something bigger than ourselves, something truly special, and we know that our families share the same sentiment.”

The Dollywood Foundation’s Generosity

The generous £2,000 donation will be directly reinvested into serving more families in the area, supporting high-quality books for over a thousand local children.

Inspired by her father’s struggle with illiteracy, Dolly Parton initiated the Imagination Library in 1995 to serve the children of her hometown in Sevier County, Tennessee. Today, her programme extends across five countries, gifting over 2.4 million free, high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to children across the globe. Families participating in the programme are never charged, and it is open to all children under the age of five residing in regions with active programmes.

Dolly shared her thoughts, “I know there are children in communities around the world with big dreams, and the seeds of these dreams are often found in books. Instilling a love of reading through my Imagination Library has been one of my greatest joys. Reaching 200 million books worldwide is a significant milestone that fills me with pride. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all our local program partners, funders, and supporters. But rest assured, we’re just getting started; we have so much more to accomplish. Together, we can inspire children to dream, learn, care, and be more.”

Bohan echoed this sentiment: “Books play a pivotal role in a household, instilling the importance of reading. They are more than just words on a page; they foster bonding and catalyse quality time spent together. Our parents have confirmed that these books are vital in building confidence in reading and preparing children for school.”

For further information, please visit https://www.cdi.ie/our-programmes/imaginationlibrary/

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About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Since its establishment in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has emerged as the foremost early childhood book gifting program globally. As the flagship initiative of The Dollywood Foundation, it has dispatched over 200 million free books in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland. The Imagination Library mails over two million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to the age of five. Dolly’s vision was to nurture a lifelong love for reading and inspire children to dream. Extensive research into the program’s impact has revealed significant improvements in essential early childhood literacy measures. Penguin Random House serves as the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For additional information, please visit www.imaginationlibrary.com