GILLETTE, Wyo. — Imagination Library of Campbell County Project Coordinators Riley Dilts and Emily Haefele said in a Jan. 26 PRECorp Foundation news release that about 400 Campbell County children signed up for the program in late 2022.
Dilts and Haefele launched the local contingent of the national Dolly Parton Imagination Library program in the last week of October 2022. The children started receiving the books in January, according to the release.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to inspiring reading by giving children free books. Children enrolled in the program receive a book in the mail every month until their fifth birthday. The first book each child receives is one of Dolly Parton’s favorite books “The Little Engine that Could,” while the last book children receive is “Look out Kindergarten, Here I Come.” Local donors fund the cost of the books.
Dilts and Haefele fundraised locally to create the program, which is under the umbrella of the Campbell County Library Foundation.
“We partnered with the Library Foundation Inc. as they are a 501(c)(3) and you need that status to run the program/get the books,” Dilts and Haefele told County 17 in an email in November 2022. “So the Library Foundation houses all our funds.”
Residents who wish to sign up for the program can visit imaginationlibrary.com, click “Check Availability” and enter their ZIP code. The form requires entering the child’s name, birthdate and address to begin receiving the books. Anyone without access to the internet can sign up online at the library, Dilts and Haefele said. Anyone who has questions about the program or trouble signing up can email imaginationlibraryyccwy@gmail.com.
PRECorp and Basin Electric Power Cooperative support the program
Powder River Energy Foundation and Basin Electric Power Cooperative together donated $5,000 to support the Imagination Library of Campbell County.
Foundation Board President John Flocchini said the foundation seeks to support the communities in northeast Wyoming that it serves.
“We appreciate Emily and Riley’s efforts to offer families a free, fun, and educational experience at home,” he said.
The Foundation’s funding sources include the PRECorp Operation RoundUp® Program, fundraisers and matching grants. PRECorp members who sign up for Operation RoundUp® round up their electric bill to the next dollar. The Foundation gives to charitable organizations in Campbell, Crook, Johnson, Sheridan and Weston counties, according to the release.
Basin Electric is a consumer-owned, regional electricity cooperative in Bismarck, North Dakota. PRECorp is one of Basin Electric’s member cooperatives.
