Imagination Library celebrates 15 years in Gibson County
By Logan Watson,
The Mirror-Exchange
For the last 15 years, the Gibson County Imagination Library has been working to foster a love of learning in the next generation, and those efforts do not stop due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Gibson County group launched its annual letter-writing campaign Nov. 1, seeking donations from the community in order to keep providing educational opportunities to children in Gibson County.
Gibson County Imagination Library is operating at an all-time high since it began in 2005, reaching a total of 2,221 children in March. Since its inception, 6,355 local children have graduated from the program, receiving close to 307,000 books from birth through the age of 5, and the group doesn’t want the growth to stop because of COVID-19.
“We haven’t been able to hold any fundraisers this year because of the pandemic,” said Nancy Bartholomew, chairman of the board of directors. “We are responsible for $15 per child, per year, and with more than 2,200 kids waiting for these books, we expect our expenses to be somewhere around $34,000.”
From November 2020 through January 2021, Imagination Library will be mailing out 1,000 letters to businesses and individuals that have previously donated to the organization, but donations are being accepted from anyone willing to give.
“The educational benefits for the kids are well-documented, but it doesn’t stop there,” Bartholomew. “The positive effect that reading with your kids has on the family are intangible, and we need your help this year more than ever before.”
Sponsoring one child in Gibson County with one book per month will cost $15, but volunteers welcome any donation amount. Booster levels begin at $100 per year and go up to $1,000 per year. The Gibson County Imagination Library is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization, and all donations are tax-deductible. Checks should be made payable to Gibson County Imagination Library, and mailed to P.O. Box 435, Trenton, TN, 38382.
