A new Northern Virginia chapter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library announced Thursday it is launching a fundraising campaign to provide free books to young children, with Alexandria the first city in the region to host the program.
The Northern Virginia Imagination Library aims to begin registering Alexandria children by summer 2026, with plans to expand throughout Northern Virginia eventually. The program will mail one age-appropriate book per month to enrolled children from birth to age five at no cost to families.
“We are ready to engage with community partners to build this program, beginning with the City of Alexandria,” said Andrew McCarthy-Clark, president of the organization. “Our hope is that the Imagination Library will begin registering and sending thousands of local children a free high-quality, age-appropriate book each month by next summer.”
Children enrolled from birth would receive 60 books by the time they age out of the program at 5 years old. The program requires $20 to fund one child for an entire year, according to the organization.
Amy Jackson, Alexandria’s former vice mayor and a board member of the new organization, said early childhood education is critical to addressing achievement gaps.
“As a mom and as an educator, I know how important it is to engage with our children early and instill the love of reading in them,” Jackson said. “I am proud to be a part of its inception and to have the City of Alexandria be a hub for this essential programming for our youth.”
The national Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has distributed more than 280 million free books since its launch in 1995. The program operates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland, mailing more than 3 million books monthly to enrolled children.
The Dollywood Foundation covers overhead costs and negotiates wholesale book pricing, while local partners, such as the newly formed Northern Virginia organization, handle fundraising for mailing costs and books.
Donations to the Northern Virginia Imagination Library, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, can be made at novaimaginationlibrary.com/give.
