PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A new partnership between The County’s four hospitals and the United Way of Aroostook will help put a new book in the hands of families with infants and toddlers each and every month.
Representatives from TAMC, Cary Medical Center, Houlton Regional Hospital and Northern Maine Medical Center joined with leaders of the United Way of Aroostook and the Aroostook County Action Program’s (ACAP) Family Services last Friday to announce their support for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The nationwide initiative, which United Way of Aroostook launched locally in October 2013, puts a new book in the hands of families who sign up with children from birth to age 5 at no cost to them every month.
“We are thrilled with the support that all four county hospitals have given to this project. They all recognize the importance of the program and have been so willing to help us expand it to reach more young families,” said Claudia Stevens, executive director of the United Way of Aroostook. “We look forward to working with them to make this an ongoing success for The County’s youngest citizens.
“Currently there are 1,355 kids registered in the program, and the number grows every day,” she said. “There are nearly 3,500 children under the age of 5 living in Aroostook County, and our hope is to have them all registered in this program.”
As part of the partnership, nursing staff at the four hospitals will provide the opportunity for parents of newborns at each of their facilities to sign up for the free book delivery program before they depart the hospital after delivering their child. Additionally, each hospital has agreed to sponsor the program, through the United Way, for the babies born at their hospital. The contributions will help underwrite part of the cost of the program.
“We are so pleased to be able to partner with United Way of Aroostook and our friends and counterparts throughout The County on this most worthwhile project,” said Pam Lilley, RN, manager of TAMC Women and Children’s Unit. “We have the great privilege and pleasure of helping young families bring new life into the world, and to be among the first to welcome The County’s newest citizens. This is an amazing program that allows us to extend our care beyond those first few precious hours to help instill a life-long love for reading that will serve our newborns well throughout their lives.”
According to United Way of Aroostook officials, the average cost of each book and the associated mailing expense to get it to each child monthly averages $2.08. It’s an investment that all partner hospitals feel is well spent.
“The Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library project is a wonderful way for us at Pines Health Services and Cary Medical Center to collaborate with the United Way of Aroostook and other County health care organizations to benefit our youth and local families,” said Jen Plante, RNC-OB, maternal/child primary charge nurse at Cary Medical Center. “Reading to your pre-school age children is such a special way to have family time together and to start your children on their way to a lifetime of reading enjoyment and healthy reading habits.”
Since its initial program launch in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has gone from just a few dozen books to over 60 million books mailed to children in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The United Way of Aroostook is among the more than 1,600 local community organizations that provide the Imagination Library to over a quarter million children each and every month.
“Houlton Regional Hospital is invested in promoting literacy in all children and encourages families to read together, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will enable children to do just that — read imaginative, adventurous books with their parents, grandparents, siblings and friends. It is so important that all children have access to books at an early age,” said Cheryl Peabody, RN, nurse manager of labor and delivery recovery and postpartum/newborn nursery. “Having books at their fingertips encourages them to read and enjoy every moment. We want reading to be a life-long joy … something this generation can share with their children and grandchildren to come. We are happy to join in this effort to provide an important resource to southern Aroostook families raising young children.”
The announcement was made in a Head Start Program classroom at the ACAP Family Center. The location was chosen to both involve children and to underscore the importance of reading to young ones at an early age. Representatives from each of the four hospitals took a moment after the announcement to read their favorite children’s book to students in Early Head Start and Head Start classrooms.
ACAP Family Services is a United Way-funded agency. Officials with the group were on hand for the event to lend their support and encouragement.
“Exposure to books encourages imagination and helps children make connections between words, pictures and actions. Rhyming, repetitive reading, and learning how a book works are all skills that are learned in infancy and will benefit a child’s future development in math, science, social studies and school readiness,” said Sue Powers, ACAP program manager. “ACAP is proud to participate in Dolly’s Imagination Library, a program that puts books in the hands of young children.
“What a joy it is for kids to get their first books in the mail. When a book arrives from Dolly, it’s an extra special treat that will bring years and years of enjoyment to that child and to the family. I know this personally because my granddaughter receives her Dolly books every month and she looks forward to those,” Powers said. “It’s exciting to know that the program is going to grow and that we’re going to add more children and families to this experience. It will expand the libraries of families in Aroostook County.”
Well-known country music entertainer Dolly Parton launched the Imagination Library initiative in 1995 in her home county in east Tennessee. Her vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families by providing the gift of a specially selected book each month.
By mailing high quality, age-appropriate books directly to their homes, she wanted children to be excited about reading and to feel the magic that books can create. Most importantly, she wanted to ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.
The United Way of Aroostook adopted the project as part of their community impact initiative, one section of which calls for a targeted, proactive use of funds and resources to bring about lasting changes in the community through the promotion and support of early childhood literacy and school preparation. Officials with the countywide non-profit organization hope to help level the playing field to afford all children in the region the opportunity to be successful early learners and readers.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one in five Maine children under 6 years old lives in poverty. Officials with the United Way of Aroostook, who are actively fundraising to grow the program, say donations totaling $2,000 will purchase books for about 80 children for a year.
The boost from the four hospitals to promote the program, help sign-up young families with newborns, and underwrite part of the cost for each child born at their respective facilities is tremendous according to Stevens. The United Way executive is hoping that by stepping forward in this leadership role, the health care organizations will serve as a catalyst for other organizations, businesses and individuals to support the worthwhile project.
“When it’s at its fullest capacity, the program is going to cost about $55,000 a year,” said Stevens, “but when you look at the long-term benefits and the sustainable change that the program creates, that’s a small price to pay for our youngest citizens.”
“By partnering with us in this way, the four county hospitals are helping make sustainable change in the lives of local children. The Dolly’s Imagination Library project will help kids develop a lifelong love of reading,” said Dan Bagley, United Way of Aroostook board president. “Where there is a need to help local people, the businesses, organizations and citizens of Aroostook always step in and help. This partnership between the hospitals and the local United Way is a wonderful example of people helping people and the ability to address a local issue with local help.”
