Donation of matching funds helps restart beloved book program in Fayette County

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will be able to resume operations providing free books to Lexington children after the Fayette Education Foundation secured anonymous funding, officials said Wednesday.

The program was temporarily paused in December as a result of rising program costs and limited sustainable funding.

With the new infusion of cash, the foundation will have a six-month window during which all donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $50,000.

“This matching gift gives our community a critical opportunity to keep this beloved program going,” Carrie Boling, executive director of the Fayette Education Foundation, said in a statement. “Every dollar donated during this period has twice the impact, and reaching the full match will allow books to start flowing again to children who depend on them.”

Monthly book deliveries to children will resume in March, and registration for Fayette County families to participate in the program has reopened.

Imagination Library provides free, age-appropriate books each month to children from birth to age 5, helping build early literacy skills and foster a love of reading at home. It was launched in early 1995 by country music legend Dolly Parton. The program currently serves thousands of children across Fayette County.

For more information, to donate or to register a child, visit www.fayettefoundation.org.