DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY ARRIVES IN ST. MARYS
ST. MARYS, ON, OCTOBER 29, 2021 – Local business owner, Chantal Lynch of Hyggeligt Fabrics, and community member, Dennis DesRosiers, have partnered to create the St. Marys Imagination Library Fund, an early literacy program through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Canada.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Canada is a free book gifting program devoted to inspiring a love of reading in children everywhere by providing a free, age-appropriate book for children under five. Chantal and Dennis are the Imagination Library’s newest regional partners ensuring families in St. Marys will have the opportunity to access this program. To build sustainable funding for the St. Marys Imagination Library program, Chantal and Dennis partnered with the Stratford Perth Community Foundation. Together they established an endowed fund that they will continue to grow, and with time their Fund will sustain this local program every year through investment earnings.
“Early literacy is an important foundation for future success. Bringing this program to St. Marys will create a love of reading at an early age for our local children,” says Chantal Lynch. “When I explained the program to Dennis, he was extremely supportive, and I was thrilled when he wanted to be involved.”
“Establishing the St. Marys Imagination Library Fund with our local Community Foundation and directing all donations there just made sense for what we wanted to accomplish,” says Dennis DesRosiers. “We have a goal to raise $300,000 for the Fund to make sure this program will continue for years to come. In the end, it’s the children of St. Marys that will benefit from the generosity of our community.”
“We are grateful to Chantal and Dennis for investing locally and inspiring young children to love to read,” says Heidi Culliton, Executive Director of the Community Foundation. “Through the gift of books, the St. Marys Imaginary Library Fund will help spark the imagination and dreams of local children for generations. We are honoured Chantal and Dennis chose our Foundation to support their vision and care for their community legacy.”
$250 for 250 Kids
For $250 a local child can receive an age-appropriate book each month from birth to age 5 years. Chantal and Dennis would like to invite the St. Marys community to help the St. Marys Imagination Library Fund achieve its goal. Together, they have launched their $250 for 250 Kids Campaign – a challenge for residents of St. Marys to donate $250 to support 250 kids in St. Marys. All donations will be generously matched by Dennis DesRosiers.
Hyggeligt Fabrics is donating $50 from every sale of their children’s quilting kits to the St. Marys Imagination Library Fund.
Donations to the St. Marys Imagination Library Fund can be made online by clicking HERE.
Learn more about the St. Marys Imagination Library Fund and to register a child, click HERE
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Media Contacts:
Roxy Rae, Marketing and Outreach Manager, Stratford Perth Community Foundation
roxy@spccf.ca or M: 519-807-0231
Heidi Culliton, Executive Director, Stratford Perth Community Foundation
heidi@spccf.ca or M: 519-801-0556
Chantal Lynch, St. Marys Imagination Library
chantal@hyggeligt.ca or 519-284-1508
About the Stratford Perth Community Foundation
The Stratford Perth Community Foundation is a registered charitable foundation serving Stratford, St. Marys, and Perth County. Unique because donations are made to endowed funds which are pooled and invested. Investment income is used to make grants to local charities year after year to meet the needs throughout our region. As partners in philanthropy for our region we help donors fulfill their charitable goals today with legacies that will last forever. Established in 2004, the Community Foundation’s endowed assets have grown to $7.5M and community grants to date exceed $1.5M. For more information about the Stratford Perth Community Foundation please visit www.spccf.ca.
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