St. Marys Imagination Library reaches full funding goal
By Stewart Grant
An ambitious goal nearly six years in the making has finally been reached, ensuring young children in St. Marys will continue receiving free books through the St. Marys Imagination Library for generations to come.
The milestone was celebrated Saturday, Oct. 24, when a fundraising yard sale organized by local business owner Chantal Lynch pushed the program’s endowment fund past its $300,000 target. The sale, held at 150 Queen St. E., featured donated fabrics, quilting supplies, books and other materials, with proceeds going directly toward the fund.
Dennis DesRosiers, who has worked alongside Lynch to establish and finance the endowment, also offered to match every dollar raised at the sale with a contribution of two dollars, providing an additional incentive for shoppers to support the cause.
By Saturday evening, the goal had been achieved.
“Congratulations St. Marys, your Imagination Library program is now ‘fully funded,’ ” DesRosiers announced in a Facebook post following the event.
The achievement means eligible children living in the N4X postal code area will continue to receive a free, age-appropriate book every month from birth until their fifth birthday, with the program’s costs supported by investment income from the endowment.
The story began a little more than five years ago when Lynch, owner of Hyggeligt Fabrics in downtown St. Marys, approached DesRosiers about bringing the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program to the community.
At the time, DesRosiers was chair of the St. Marys/Stratford Perth Community Foundation. He helped Lynch explore how the initiative could be funded sustainably.
Rather than relying on annual fundraising campaigns to pay for the books, the pair decided to establish an endowment through the local community foundation. Their goal was to raise $300,000, invest the money and use the returns to cover the program’s ongoing costs.
The approach required considerably more fundraising at the onset but offered a much greater measure of long-term security.
With approximately 300 children enrolled at a time, the program costs roughly $15,000 annually to operate.
Lynch and DesRosiers initially contributed $100,000 to launch the fund and subsequently donated another $100,000. Local residents, businesses and the Town of St. Marys also contributed to the campaign.
In addition, the two organizers personally covered the monthly cost of the books rather than drawing on the endowment’s investment returns, allowing the fund to continue growing.
The final push came from the yard sale, which Lynch organizes every two years by collecting surplus fabrics and quilting supplies from the many quilting guilds that are customers of her business.
This year, every dollar raised was directed to the Imagination Library endowment, with DesRosiers’ matching offer helping turn the popular sale into a decisive fundraising event.
While the endowment represents a significant financial achievement, the program’s greatest impact can be measured in the children and families it has touched.
Since its launch in December nearly six years ago, the St. Marys Imagination Library has distributed close to 30,000 books to local children. More than 300 children have graduated from the program after turning five, while registrations have continued to bring new families into the initiative.
DesRosiers reported enrolment recently climbed to nearly 350 children following an increase in interest after the death of Dolly Parton, whose Imagination Library program has helped promote early childhood literacy around the world.
The local program has also distinguished itself nationally. According to DesRosiers, St. Marys has ranked first in Canada for the percentage of eligible children registered for four consecutive years.
He credits Lynch with the initiative’s success, describing the project as her idea and praising her determination to see it through.
In a recent conversation, DesRosiers shared a story about a young local child that illustrated why the work matters. A parent had sent him a video of a two-year-old reading one of the program’s books to a one-month-old sibling.
Stories like that, he said, reaffirm the value of encouraging families to read together from an early age.
“What’s different is the hundreds of parents in St. Marys who cuddle up with their little one and read one of Dolly’s books to them almost every night,” DesRosiers wrote in his post celebrating the fundraising success.
The books do more than put reading material into children’s hands. They also provide parents and caregivers with a regular opportunity to share stories, build language skills and make reading part of everyday family life.
Though their initial funding goal has been reached, DesRosiers subsequently clarified that, based on updated calculations, the endowment is expected to support the program for approximately 85 to 100 years, depending on inflation and birth rates, rather than indefinitely as originally anticipated.
He said he and Lynch will continue looking for opportunities to grow the fund and extend its lifespan.
There is also room to expand participation. With nearly 350 children registered, DesRosiers estimates another 50 to 100 eligible children may not yet be enrolled, particularly those in families that have recently moved to the community.
Parents can register children from birth until age five through the St. Marys Imagination Library website at stmarysimaginationlibrary.com. Registration information is also available at Hyggeligt Fabrics at 144 Queen St. E.
Comments