SerpApi.Org
Edwardsville-area residents will soon have a new way to support early literacy through the Edwardsville Public Library.
The library has established the Edwardsville Public Library Literacy Engagement Community Support Fund through the Edwardsville Community Foundation, creating an avenue for donations to help provide free books for local children and support future literacy initiatives.
The fund will primarily support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that mails a free, age-appropriate book each month to children from birth to age 5. While families receive the books at no cost, local organizations are responsible for covering the cost of books and postage.
The Edwardsville Public Library has committed to raising money to help provide the program for children living in Edwardsville Community Unit District 7. Those children make up roughly one-fifth of all Madison County participants.
Library Director Diana Sussman said the new fund gives community members another way to invest in childhood literacy.
"We are so grateful to visionary donors who can help us reach our goals through the Edwardsville Community Foundation," Sussman said. "Together, we can raise readers!"
In addition to supporting the book-gifting program, the fund is intended to create new opportunities for residents to engage with the library and strengthen literacy efforts throughout the community.
Edwardsville Community Foundation Executive Director Sara Berkbigler said the partnership builds on the library's role as a community resource. Berkbigler said the fund is not endowed at this time, but the foundation and library hope to grow it into an endowed fund that can provide grants supporting the library's literacy mission in perpetuity.
"The Edwardsville Public Library is the heart of the Edwardsville community, providing a wide variety of innovative programs for citizens of all ages," Berkbigler said. "We are pleased to partner with them as they seek to support early readers, promote literacy and grow community engagement."
