El Paso County ILCO Affiliate Fundraiser
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
Imagination Library of ColoradoThis program offers free books to kids 0-5 to prepare for kindergarten readiness.
$3,686
raised by 57 people
Back in 1995, Dolly Parton began the Imagination Library to support early childhood literacy and honor her father who was never given he opportunity to learn how to read. With the support of community members and organizations, the Imagination Library has now gifted over 300 million books worldwide for children from birth to age 5.
Clear data shows that the gift of books from the Imagination Library is the most cost effective way to help prepare a child for literacy and kindergarten readiness. Thankfully, we live in Colorado where the state has chosen to fund half of the cost for each child. It is up to us to do the rest.
Dolly loved to say that she just "loved to give from the heart" and loved the feeling of giving. We can be like Dolly to make our own community a better place by supporting young children in our community with a financial gift to support the Imagination Library.
With Dolly's passing on August 25, it is our goal to keep her vision alive and "give from the heart". To mark her legendary song "9 to 5", we are raising money on September 25 (9/25).
Please consider donating:
$155 to support a child with 60 books over 5 years
$31 to support a child with 12 books for one year
$9.25 for 9 to 5
Loved by families, validated by research
Your gift provides funding for all children, from birth to age 5, in El Paso County to receive free books! By providing books at NO COST to families, the Imagination Library increases childhood literacy rates, fosters a love of books, and promotes a culture of reading for all children. Due to this statewide Imagination Library program which matches every dollar raised for books, means that your gift is doubled.
We know that reading begins at birth, and the benefits of a home library go far beyond the simple act of reading. Research proves reading at home fosters a love of reading, kindergarten readiness, and social & emotional intelligence.
The Impact of Your Support
- 95% of parents say these books help prepare their children for kindergarten
- 66% of children become more excited to look at books on their own.
- Children enrolled in the program are 41% more likely to meet early reading benchmarks (DIBELS).
What our Imagination Library Family says
"Imagination Library Books have impacted our son's life by helping me to engage him with reading-often at a level I would've thought was "too advanced" for him to understand. The reading guide with each book has helped me as a parent to think about hot to process ideas and themes with my son."
"This is an amazing and incredibly generous program. Not only have these books helped my child's speech and literacy development, they have brought us all closer together as a family."
"The books sent are such a wide variety of subjects. The quality of books is excellent and it is so exciting when we receive a book. My older daughter loves to read your books to her little sister:)"
History of Imagination Library in Colorado
In 2015, Imagination Library of Denver (ILD) launched a pilot program with 30 children atFamily Star Montessori. Since its creation, ILD has expanded into 100% of Denver's neighborhoods, providing coverage to all children ages 0 to 5 within all of Denver’s zip codes.
The importance of equitable access to early childhood books couldn’t have been emphasized more than when Governor Polis signed SB20-185 on July 10, 2020, creating a statewide Imagination Library (IL) program. This commitment to match every dollar raised for books throughout the state offers a significant incentive for the organization to workwith local philanthropists, businesses and individual donors who can leverage thematched dollar to sustain the program.
Today, there are 59 nonprofit partner organizations all across Colorado. More than 280 million books have been delivered to young children since 1996. In 2025, Imagination Library introduced 100% bilingual books for enrollees, if interested, across all age groups over the course of the five year program.