“I cannot put into words how much it has meant to us to be able to count on one book a month for my child without worrying about the expense.” – a Wichita area single mother
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Occasionally at United Way of the Plains, we receive emails or letters from recipients of our Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program expressing gratitude. Through this program we have administered since 2011, books are mailed to children ages 0-5 years old one time a month at no cost to the families. All parents in qualifying ZIP codes need to do is sign up here.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library helps develop literacy skills and a lifelong love of reading. It is a program that falls under United Way of the Plains’ “education” issue area, and we continue to support it because we truly understand that new books are not something every family has the ability to invest in. Since we launched the program, we have mailed out more than 892,500 books to children in our service area. If you would like to help, we are always taking donations to benefit this program.
Read to Succeed
Though literacy is just one focus area of our work in education, it is an important one. Children transition from learning to read to reading to learn in the third grade, and that age is a crucial milestone in a child’s education. Because of this, our Women United affinity group started our Read to Succeed program, where we send hundreds of volunteers each year into Wichita Public Schools elementary schools to read one-on-one with the same third-grade student for 30 minutes each week.
Shockingly, almost half of all third graders nationwide do not yet read at grade level. Our Read to Succeed program has been so successful helping third graders read at grade level that we have now added some classes of second graders to the mix. Reading coaches consistently report not only improved reading scores from their mentees but also a positive relationship developed between student and volunteer. To say this volunteer opportunity is rewarding for the volunteers would be an understatement.
We need volunteers at the beginning of each new semester. Consider signing up to help at the Read to Succeed school closest to you.
Coaching for Literacy
To continue our work in literacy, in 2021 United Way of the Plains established a partnership with Coaching for Literacy, a national nonprofit that partners with NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball teams. In each participating city, one nonprofit benefits from this partnership, and we are proud to be the partner of the Wichita State University Shockers.
Our #Fight4Literacy game on Feb. 12 will feature the Wichita State University men’s basketball team home at Koch Arena vs. South Florida. The coaches will wear lime green to generate awareness for our fundraising efforts. All funds raised through this initiative will go toward books and programming in the neighborhoods near Wichita State University. We would love your support in boosting literacy in this crucial area of our city.
Through our work in education, we’re fighting to improve the odds so every child has the best possible future. With an approach to education that spans from cradle to career, we’re making sure children start school ready to learn, achieve on-grade reading levels, maintain strong attendance and graduate on time. None of this can happen without the crucial element of literacy, so we are asking our friends to join in by supporting one our literacy efforts. We cannot do this important work for the children of our community without your help.
United Way of the Plains is a nonprofit and for-impact organization that focuses on health, education, financial stability and basic needs – the building blocks for a good quality of life and a strong community. Our mission is to improve lives by harnessing the caring power of our community to advance the common good in south central Kansas. Follow us on these social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.
