(WSIL) -- It was a big weekend for Dolly Parton. She celebrated a birthday on January 19th and the 30-year anniversary of her program "Dolly Parton's Imagination Library". The program supplies books to millions of kids every year. Our region partnered with the program approximately 6 months ago, with the intent to bring books to rural kids. The partnership in southern Illinois is known as Read S.I. and encourages parents in the lower 18 counties to enroll their children for free.
So far, more than 7,300 children are enrolled in the Read S.I. program, which is double what organizers were expecting. More than 30,000 books have been put in the hands of children in our region, that might not have otherwise had the opportunity. While the program is very affordable and based on donation, it's not entirely free. The breakdown comes to about $16 to sponsor a child for a year. Eligible children fall between the ages of birth to 5-years-old and reside in the southern 18 counties in Illinois.
We brought in two representatives with the Read S.I. and Dolly Parton Imagination Library partnership to discuss its impact on children in our area. You can watch the full interview below. If you would like more information about the program, where to register your child, or where do make a donation, you can check it out at .
Representatives with the local program 'Read SI' came in studio to talk about their successful partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library
