Coffee County Imagination Library seeks donations to cover monthly book bill

Daphne Craig, board chair of the Imagination Library of Coffee County, asked the Coffee County Commission for community support on Jan. 13 to keep the Dolly Parton Imagination Library operating at current enrollment levels.

Craig said the local program currently reaches about 78.42% of eligible children in the county and that roughly 2,987 Coffee County children are enrolled and receive monthly books in the mail. She described the program’s monthly book-bill (presented in the meeting materials) and said the program had roughly three and a half months of funding remaining at the time of the presentation.

Craig encouraged donations and announced a Dream with Dolly fundraiser on Feb. 6, with adult tickets priced at $25, student tickets $20, children 10 and under $10 and under 5 free; sponsorship tiers start at $150. Commissioners including Commissioner Brown and Mayor Hunt expressed support and some pledged donations; Craig said the program is currently funded through donations and partner grants and that she would consider a future request to include the program as a budget line item.

Numbers and consistency note: the presenter stated a unit book cost in the slides and verbally; the transcript records a per-child figure and a monthly total that are not numerically consistent (see audit). The article reports the enrollment percentage and the presenter's stated monthly funding shortfall but does not resolve the inconsistency; county staff or program officials should be asked for itemized monthly billing figures for verification.

Next steps: the program will pursue donations and sponsorships, and commissioners were encouraged to attend or sponsor the Feb. 6 fundraiser to maintain the program’s monthly book delivery.