1. It’s been less than a year since United Way
of Erie County launched the Imagination
Library in our community. In just that
short time, more than 40% of all children
in Erie County under the age of five have
registered to receive a free, high quality,
age-appropriate book mailed to their
homes every month.
That’s nearly 8,000 local children who have
signed up for this game-changing program,
designed to help ensure every child in Erie
County is prepared to enter kindergarten
ready to learn and with a love of reading.
The Imagination Library is a United Way
of Erie County initiative that was launched
in collaboration with The Erie Community
Foundation and other community and
funding partners. It offers a free book
each month from the time a child is born
until he or she turns five years old. Dolly
Parton originally started the program in
Tennessee, and it quickly spread as studies
showed its ability to help prepare more
children for school.
While the Imagination Library is free for all
families involved in the program, it carries
a substantial cost to operate. And despite
Over 40% of Erie County children are now
receiving Imagination Library books
IMAGINATION
operation:
Studies from across the country have all reached the same
conclusion: families who are involved in the Imagination
Library read more often to their children, leading to chil-
dren who are better prepared to learn.
• Between 66% and 75% of families with children en-
rolled in the Imagination Library read more to their
children, and the lower the income the greater the im-
pact on frequency.
• For more than a third of families participating in the
Imagination Library, these books become the main
source of books in the home.
• A2008studyofImaginationLibraryparticipantsfound
that 83% read more frequently to their children.
Imagination Library
facts:
> No cost to families
receiving books
Open to all Erie County
children under the age
of five, regardless of
household income
Books are age- and
developmentally-
appropriate
Books include reading
guides with tips to help
parents and caregivers
maximize the learning
value of the books
(continued on page 2)

2. 2 UNITED WAY NEWSLETTER
the fact Dolly Parton started the original
program, the responsibility of paying the
costs for the Imagination Library in Erie
County falls upon our community.
It costs approximately $30 per child per
year to cover the costs of the books and
the postage. In other words, it costs $150
to cover a child from the time she is born
until she graduates out of it on her fifth
birthday.
That is a very reasonable
price to receive a total of
60 books over five years.
But when that cost is
multiplied by the number
of children in the program,
it becomes much more
significant. The program
is estimated to cost more
than $200,000 over the
next 12 months, and is predicted to cost as
much as $360,000 per year when it reaches
maximum penetration in a few years.
But think about this: children who start
school behind stay behind. Of 50 first grad-
ers who have trouble reading, 44 of them
will still have trouble in fourth grade. Those
children then become far more likely to
drop out of high school.
By preventing just one child from dropping
out of high school, we can save our commu-
nity more than $800,000 over that child’s
life. Think about the impact we can have if
we get books into more children’s hands in
Erie County and ensure they’re prepared to
succeed in school.
That’s why United Way launched Operation:
Imagination this month. Coinciding with
National Reading Month,
Operation: Imagination
is designed to raise the
funds to sponsor an addi-
tional 500 children in the
Imagination Library from
birth to age five.
You can help rewrite the
story of our community’s
future by joining Oper-
ation: Imagination and
helping sponsor one or
more of those 500 children. Imagine if all
of the children in Fairview and throughout
Erie County entered kindergarten ready to
learn and with a love of reading. Through
the Imagination Library, we can make that
dream a reality.
Details on
Operation: Imagination
Takes place during
March to coincide
with National Reading
Month
Goal is to sponsor 500
local children from
birth to age five.
It costs $30 to sponsor
a child for one year (12
books)
It costs $150 to
sponsor a child for all
five years of eligibility
(60 books)
You can sponsor
a child by calling
814.456.2937, visiting
UnitedWayErie.org
or by returning the
enclosed envelope.
Donations are 100%
tax-deductible.
Imagination Library
registrations have far
exceeeded our wildest
dreams...and we need
YOUR help to continue
getting more books into
the hands of Erie County’s
children!
Maximize your impact, thanks to
the Sunflower Club!
We hope you will consider joining Operation: Imagination by sponsoring a child
in the Imagination Library. And as an added incentive, the Sunflower Club (340
Metz Street) has generously offered a dollar-for-dollar match for all gifts to
Operation: Imagination, up to $25,000! That means that a $150 donation can
provide two children with free books every month from birth to age five. Please
don’t miss out on this great opportunity to make a small gift with a BIG impact!
(continued from page 1)

3. Make checks payable to:
United Way of Erie County
420 West 6th Street, Suite 200
Erie, PA 16507
Phone: 814-456-2937
Fax: 814-459-5750
When we reach out a hand to one,
we influence the condition of all.
That’s what it means to
LIVE UNITED
One Small Gift. One BIG Impact.
Why should you support the Imagination Library?
• Children who start behind... stay behind. Of 50 first graders who have prob-
lems reading, 44 of them will still have problems reading in fourth grade.
• For each student we prevent from dropping out of school, we save the
community $800,000.
• It costs just $150 to provide a high quality, age-appropriate book to a
child every month from birth until age five. That’s 60 books!
• Over 71% of parents report their children’s interest in reading increased as
a result of the Imagination Library.
Operation Imagination: Join us in our effort to REDUCE POVERTY by donating $150 today!
Please bill me. If you would like to be invoiced at a later time, please indicate the start date: __________
My payment is enclosed.
Charge my pledge. (Visit UnitedWayErie.org/give or call 814-456-2937 x234 to provide your credit card information.
If you have processed your charge payment online, please attach a copy of your receipt.)
Yes! I will sponsor _____ children in the Imagination Library @ $150 each. Total contribution: $__________
IMAGINATION
operation:
Name:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Signature: Date:
The official registration and financial information of United Way of Erie County may be obtained from the Pennsylvania
Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
United Way of Erie County
UnitedWayErie.org

4. IMAGINATION
operation:
“I have trouble reading but am still learning with my child.”
- Parent of Child in the Imagination Library
“Thank you! My child was SO excited to get a new book
instead of buying them from garage sales.”
- Parent of Child in the Imagination Library
“My child recently lost his father and I think this program makes
him feel special when he gets the books in the mail.”
- Parent of Child in the Imagination Library
Imagine if every child in Erie County entered kindergarten ready to learn and
with a love of reading.
You are making that happen, through the Imagination Library!