You may have seen this super sweet video featuring a local family that receives books in the mail from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Not only does it illustrate the benefits of this early learning program, it clearly shows the happiness it brings to so many local kids. We love being able to make this program available for children in our community, and we really love how this short video warms our hearts. (Thanks to our star Zayan, now age 5, for being so completely adorable and for loving the books so much!)
Chapter one: Launching Imagination Library and getting the word out
When we brought Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Whatcom County in 2022, we were looking for a quick and easy way to explain how the program works and to inspire folks not just to enroll little ones, but to support United Way so we can continue to get as many books as possible in the hands of our community’s youngest learners: children from birth to age five. We partnered with Spencer at Astra Media on this project, explaining that we wanted something informational that also expressed the pure joy the books bring and the way families naturally come together while reading. We also wanted to feature local author Christina Dodd and her husband Scott Ham, who have a passion for this program and generously sponsor it so even more kids can participate. Spencer did a fantastic job capturing the genuine excitement for this program from our staff, donors, and the families that benefit. And we still get the feel goods every time we watch or share the video.
Chapter two: A new little learner is born
Fast-forward to 2025, when our friend Spencer reached out to let us know that he and his wife had a baby and that little Hudson is enrolled and receiving books from the Imagination Library. Hearing this news made us so happy! Every week, we see Imagination Library registrations come through for sweet little babies, some of whom were born the day before. Each time this happens we are thrilled, because we know that child will be getting critical literacy support literally from day one. When we talked to Spencer about his family’s experience with the Imagination Library, here’s what he had to say:
“Liz and I have been thrilled to take part in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. When our son, Hudson, was born in October 2024, we enrolled right away, eager to start building his love for books. In just three months, we’ve watched him go from simply staring at the pages to following along and excitedly slapping them with his little hands.
Life with a newborn is a whirlwind—feedings, tummy time, walks around the block, mom circles, and naps fill our days. Having books delivered straight to our mailbox has been such a gift. Each new arrival brings a sense of excitement and anticipation, making storytime even more special for our growing family.”
Would Spencer and his family have heard about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library if he hadn’t worked with us on this video project? It’s quite possible! We have great partnerships with hospitals, birthing centers, schools, libraries, physicians, and other service providers to get the word out and help enroll kids. But there’s a tiny part of us that loves the idea of a full circle United Way moment. As we’ve seen so many times over the years, what sometimes begins as a business or workplace relationship with United Way can turn into so much more. United is the way we build healthier families. Big thanks to Spencer for helping us share our work and message in video form, and for the happy life update! We love to see it! Want to see all the heartfelt videos we created with Astra Media? Click on the links below.