Batesville Productions; United Way brings Dolly Parton’s library of ideas to Warren County – The Vicksburg Post | So Good News

Batesville Manufacturing and United Way of West Central Mississippi have teamed up to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, an innovative children’s book donation program, to Warren County.

Imagination Library is free to registered children from birth to age 5. high quality Books are delivered by age. Founded in 1995 by country music icon Dolly Parton, the program reaches more children than any other early childhood book gift program. 2 million children are enrolled worldwide.

Batesville Manufacturing, a longtime Vicksburg business, approached the United Way about bringing the Imagination Library to Warren County, citing their commitment to bettering our community.

“When Jason Collins, our plant manager, started, he wanted to have a positive impact on our community,” said Paige Payne, human resources manager at Batesville Manufacturing. “I was familiar with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library through my work as a foster parent and knew Warren County was not yet involved. I took the idea to Jason and he was immediately on board.”

According to Payne, the Imagination Library perfectly exemplifies Batesville’s commitment to the community.

“We want to make sure our community empowers kids and gives them everything they need to succeed,” Payne said. “Not only does investing in education benefit children, but we hope that other businesses will see our commitment to children and decide to set up and grow their businesses here.”

To kick off Warren County’s participation in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, United Way of West Central Mississippi and Batesville Manufacturing visited Cedars Head Start and Kings Head Start to spread the word and enroll children. Between the two Head Start sites, more than 125 children were enrolled in the first week.

“We are very excited to bring Dolly Parton’s library of ideas to Warren County through our partnership with Batesville Manufacturing,” said Michele Connelly, executive director of United Way of West Central Mississippi. “United Way is dedicated to strengthening our communities through education, and the Imagination Library will be a tremendous asset. Batesville Manufacturing has been a wonderful partner to us over the years, and their passion for this program shows how committed they are to our community.”

United Way supports all first-time parents of babies in the Merit Health River Region, the Imagination Library, and 26 early education centers in Warren County.

“This is an amazing opportunity for parents of young children. So we want to make sure that information is readily available,” said Michele Connelly, executive director of United Way of West Central Mississippi. “This program is amazing and it’s so easy to sign up. We hope that all parents of eligible children will register.”

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is open to children from birth to 5 years old. To enroll your child; Visit imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability.