A representative of Dolly Parton Foundation's Imagination Library was in Thompson on the week of May 10 to spread the word about the initiative that looks to increase literacy and a love of reading in pre-school children.
Catrina Sturton works with the Dolly Parton Foundation as the Imagination Library regional representative for all of Canada, and also works with Invest in Kids, based in Ottawa. She lives in the capital city of Canada but travels all over introducing communities to the Imagination Library initiative.
She was in Thompson on the week of May 10 after hearing from Bobbi Montean, who works with Take Flight, an initiative that tries to get more books into Northern Manitoba communities. Montean had heard of the Imagination Library program from a woman in Dauphin who works with the West Region Tribal Council and volunteers with Imagination Library.
While Sturton was in Thompson she met with several different community groups and talked to them about Imagination Library, including the Boys & Girls Club, Keewatin Tribal Council, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, representatives from Nelson House, the mayor of the City of Thompson Tim Johnston and more.
The idea for Imagination Library came about in 1996, when country singer Dolly Parton was looking at ways to benefit the children of her home county in Tennessee and create a love of reading among the community's preschool children. She decided to send a new book each month to every child under five-years-old in the Sevier County and mail it directly to their families' home.
In November 2006, Parton was in Toronto to announce that the Imagination Library would be available in Canada. It has since been introduced in the United Kingdom as well.
To take part in the Imagination Library program, a community group must pay for the books and the costs of mailing, promote the program, register the children who want to take part and enter information into a database. The childrens' families do not pay to take part in the program.
Sturton's trip to Thompson was the first time anyone from the Dolly Parton Foundation came to Northern Manitoba to talk about Imagination Library. She says she hopes she has an opportunity to come back to the community in the near future.
