Rural King and ROE #11 Launch Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Coles and Cumberland Counties

For Immediate Release

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Launches in Coles and Cumberland Counties: Free Monthly Books for Children Ages 0-5 Now Available

Mattoon, IL — May 12, 2025 — Children in Coles and Cumberland counties can now receive free, high-quality books every month thanks to the launch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a beloved early literacy program dedicated to inspiring a love of reading from the earliest age, thanks to the funding from Rural King and the RK Foundation for Rural America and the support of Regional Office of Education #11.

The program, now available to families in Coles and Cumberland counties, mails a new, age-appropriate book each month to children from birth to age five—at no cost to the family.

“The RK Foundation for Rural America and Rural King are thrilled to add Coles and Cumberland county to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library programming in Illinois,” said Amy Shafer, Director of the RK Foundation for Rural America. “With education being a pillar of the Foundation’s mission, we are proud to support literacy throughout the entirety of ROE #11’s footprint, not only Coles and Cumberland counties. Their support of handing the administration of this program will be instrumental to its success in the area.”

“This program is a gift to our children and families. Reading to young children has lasting impacts on brain development, vocabulary, and school readiness,” said Dr. Kyle Thompson, ROE #11 Regional Superintendent.

Parents and caregivers in Coles and Cumberland counties can enroll their children today at imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability/. Once registered, books will begin arriving in the mail within 8-10 weeks.