<h2>Two local nonprofits launch book gifting program in county</h2>
<strong>From staff reports</strong>

Beaufort County and Born To Read, Inc. are partnering to bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library book gifting program to preschool children in Beaufort County South Carolina.

My First Books SC – Beaufort County and Born To Read, Inc. acknowledge the efforts of Beaufort County Senior Leadership Alumni and The Beaufort Fund for their diligence to bring this program to the area.

Eligible recipients will begin to receive books eight to 10 weeks after the registration form has been received and continue until the child turns 5 years old or moves out of Beaufort County South Carolina.

As many as one-third of South Carolina children enter kindergarten without the literacy skills they need to succeed.

Inspired by her own father’s inability to read and write, Dolly Parton’s dream was to foster a love of reading among preschool children and their families by gifting them with a specially selected book each month. This means a free, age-appropriate book will be mailed each month to children enrolled in the program from birth to age 5 living in Beaufort County.

Residents of Beaufort County South Carolina may submit an official registration form at https://bit.ly/DollyPartonBeaufortSC.

Businesses, organizations, or individuals who would like to donate funds to support the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Beaufort County can make donations online at https://myfirstbookssc.org/donate-2/ or mail them to My First Books SC, Palmetto Project, 4500 Fort Jackson Boulevard, Suite 150, Columbia, SC 29209

Parties interested in discussing a corporate or foundation sponsorship should contact Nell Killoy at 803-779-4875 or 803-917-1168.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth until age 5, no matter their family’s income. After launching in 1995, the program grew quickly.

First books were only distributed to children living in Sevier County, Tennessee where Dolly grew up. It became such a success that in 2000 a national replication effort was underway.

By 2003, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library had mailed one million books. It would prove to be the first of many millions of books sent to children around the world. To learn more about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library visit ImaginationLibrary.com.

Born To Read Inc. is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization promoting early literacy in the Lowcountry. For more information about Born To Read, Inc. visit http://borntoread.org/

My First Books South Carolina is a pre-reading, school readiness program for children from birth to age five, developed to ensure all children in South Carolina enter kindergarten with basic literacy skills essential to successfully advancing to first grade and beyond. To learn more about My First Books – SC, visit<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;https://myfirstbookssc.org/.</span>