2022 Recap
2022 was a BIG year for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio! Check out some of this year’s milestones and events.
Over 50% of Kids Enrolled
As of December, over 50% of eligible kids are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio. 362,295 Ohio kids received a free book in the mail this month. More children in Ohio are receiving books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library than in any other state.
10 Million Books Mailed
Additionally, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio has mailed more than 10 million books to Ohio children since 2019. When Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio was established in 2019, the program was only available in pockets of Ohio. Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine worked to expand the program statewide, and in late 2020, it became available to all Ohio families in each of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Welcome to Ohio, Dolly Parton!
The incomparable Dolly Parton visited Ohio in August to celebrate the statewide success of her program. At the First Lady’s Luncheon, Dolly spoke about how special it is to have the Imagination Library program available to any child under the age of 5 in Ohio.
Visited 50+ Counties
Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine visited over 50 counties this year to promote the Imagination Library’s free books. First Lady DeWine hosted dozens of book readings and press conferences, toured hospital maternity units, opened new Storybook Trails, attended baseball games, and more.
Baseball Tour
This summer, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio partnered with each of Ohio’s major and minor league baseball teams to promote the program’s free books to fans. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine us at all eight stadiums!
11 New Storybook Trails
11 new Storybook Trails opened this year in Ohio State Parks. Each trail has child-height panels featuring pages of a children's book and an activity to accompany the text on the page. Many of the trails feature books from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library collection. Ohio has 21 total Storybook Trails in state parks currently.
