Imagination Library of Grant County

“Dream more, Learn more, Care more, Be more.”
– Dolly Parton

What We Do

As a local affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library our two primary tasks are to (1) register babies, infants, and toddlers who are under the age of five to receive a free, age-appropriate book mailed to their homes, and (2) raise the funds to pay for the books and their mailing costs.

Barbara Nelson, Dolly Parton, Loren Nelson

Our Mission

Our organization exists exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, to promote literacy for all Grant County preschool children by delivering books to their homes monthly and support the expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library throughout the state of New Mexico.

Our Vision

All children in Grant County will arrive at Kindergarten’s door ready and able to succeed.
With the help of El Grito Headstart, GRMC’s Beginning Years program, local clinics, and childcare centers, we register children from birth to age five. A child who is registered at birth will accumulate a library of 60 free books by their fifth birthday. The first book children receive is Dolly Parton’s favorite, “The Little Engine That Could” and their graduation book is “Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!”

To help accomplish our mission and realize our vision, we have executed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with The Dollywood Foundation, Grant County’s Beginning Years Program, Silver Health Care, Inc., and Gila Regional Medical Center’s Maternal/Child Department, Hidalgo Medical Services, Amplified Therapy, and the New Mexico Pediatric Society. These MOUs ensure the collaboration of many of the agencies that serve Grant County families.

Since 2015, we’ve helped start affiliates in 24 New Mexico counties by advocating for partial state funding and by offering support and seed money for initial book costs.

We serve as the 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor for affiliates in Catron, Curry, Harding, and Eddy Counties, and the Moreno Valley in Colfax County. With designated funds, we are providing books for the Quemado and Reserve School Districts in Catron County and recently added all uncovered zip codes in New Mexico to our coverage area to ensure every child 0-4 years old can receive Imagination Library books no matter where they live in the state.