Local kids who turned five in the last year and are enrolled in the Imagination Library program will be celebrated next month.
For several years, the Kiwanis Club of Chatham-Kent has been bringing books and sparking a joy of reading in young children across the community in partnership with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. The program provides age-appropriate books every month, at no cost, to children from birth to age five.
On Thursday, June 5, the children who are aging out of the program and preparing to enter school will be honoured with a graduation party.
"Literacy is the cornerstone of lifelong learning," said Clare Latimer, President of the Kiwanis Club of Chatham-Kent. "Through our partnership with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, we are proud to make a significant difference to the lives of children and families in Chatham-Kent. The graduation event is an exciting way to celebrate how far these young readers have come."
The event will take place at St. Paul's Congregational Church in Chatham (450 Park Ave. W.).
Since its partnership with the Dollywood Foundation of Canada was established in 2021, the Kiwanis Club of Chatham-Kent has donated more than 15,000 books to over 750 children in the community.
Learn more about the program, enroll a child, or learn how to donate books here.