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The Dolly Parton Imagination Library program in Montgomery County is one of more than 70 local affiliates in Virginia.

The famed singer-songwriter launched an organization to encourage kids to read in 1995, as a tribute to her father, a hard-working Tennessean who never learned how. In the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia and Canada it operates through local nonprofits that fundraise to defray expenses.

In those countries, nearly 3.2 million toddlers under 5 are currently enrolled. Each month, Dolly Parton Imagination Library sends each child an age-appropriate children鈥檚 book, chosen by a panel of educational experts. The cost to parents for the monthly book in the mail is zero.

But as of 2023, the program wasn鈥檛 operating in Montgomery County, because there was no tax-exempt local partner. Baldwin, a retired National Institutes of Health manager, learned that fact nugget from Lauren Budhu, a mother of two.

So Baldwin formed a local nonprofit. By the end of 2023, the Internal Revenue Service granted it tax-exempt status. Fundraising commenced. The first enrollees joined in February 2024.

By that June, had raised more than $50,000 and signed up roughly 1,200 under-5 toddlers for one book a month in the mail. That鈥檚 almost one-third of the 3,800 under-5 children in the county, Baldwin said.

Since then, the number of Montgomery enrollees has expanded greatly. Now, Imagination Library MCVA has 1,928 under-5 kids signed up.

Year over year, that鈥檚 a 63% increase. And that number doesn鈥檛 include 400-some kids who have aged out of the program and been replaced by new enrollees.

The books now reach slightly more than half of all under-5 toddlers in Montgomery County 鈥� the total number of books distributed through the Montgomery affiliate is 24,188. And two of those clients are Lauren Budhu鈥檚 children. Son Luke is 3 and his sister Lucy is 4.

鈥淲hen we get that book in the mail, their eyes just light up,鈥� their mom said. 鈥淚t makes me so happy to see them get excited from a book. They latch onto some of them, and take them with them wherever they go 鈥� Books have become a part of their lives.鈥�

The Hash family also signed up after Baldwin established a Montgomery affiliate. Philip Hash said he and his wife, an English teacher, enrolled their youngest son, Ellis. He recently turned 5 and aged out of the program. (His brothers already were too old).

But the books had a definite impact on Ellis, Hash said. One sign was, Ellis began asking for reading at bedtime. Another was, his requests to visit the library grew more frequent.

鈥淕etting books in their hands, and getting them excited about reading early is very important,鈥� Hash added. Ellis would 鈥渓ook for the books every month. He calls them 鈥榯he Dolly Books.鈥欌��

Baldwin said that many years ago, Dolly Parton began funding college scholarships for high school graduates in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up. Then one day, an educator there suggested Parton should aim her efforts at children before they begin school, rather than after they finish.

The point is to get books in children鈥檚 hands as young as possible, said Baldwin, who used to manage medical research for NIH. That鈥檚 because 80% of the brain鈥檚 physical development occurs by age 3, she added.

The local costs for the program are $31 per child, per year, Baldwin said. Thanks to a law enacted by the General Assembly in 2024, Richmond picks up half.

The Montgomery County chapter continues to raise money. A May 31 fundraiser sponsored by the Mount Tabor Ruritan Club brought in $6,000, Baldwin said. Among items still for sale, through a silent auction, are four butterfly paintings by local Blacksburg artists.

Four of those paintings are did not sell and are still available through the local affiliate.

has links to enroll children, donate to the local affiliate and to learn more about Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Among items still for sale, through a silent auction, are four butterfly paintings by local Blacksburg artists.

Other local affiliates exist in Franklin County, Botetourt County and Bedford County.

But so far, there鈥檚 no local affiliate in the city of 色多多 or 色多多 County. Which means zero 色多多 and 色多多 County toddlers are eligible for Dolly Parton鈥檚 free books in the mail. So far.

That situation could easily be remedied. All it takes is someone in either or both jurisdictions to step up like Wendy Baldwin did in Montgomery County.

She鈥檚 willing to help inform folks in other localities about what it takes to bring Dolly Parton鈥檚 Imagination Library 鈥� and thousands of age-appropriate children鈥檚 books 鈥� to their communities.

Baldwin can be contacted through .