Imagination Library campaign issues $95 challenge ahead of Dolly Parton Day
September 14, 2026
Laurens County First Steps is asking donors for a specific number this month: $95.
The figure is a nod to “9 to 5,” the Dolly Parton song that gave the organization’s “9 to 5 for Early Childhood Literacy” campaign its name. The campaign supports Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Laurens County and runs through Dolly Parton Day on Sept. 25.
The giving levels
First Steps has built the campaign around four amounts, each tied to what it buys for local children:
- $9, the entry-level challenge gift
- $32.40, one year of books for one child
- $95, the “9 to 5” campaign gift, or nearly three years of books for one child
- $324, one year of books for 10 children
Every dollar raised stays with the local program and goes toward books mailed directly to children in Laurens County.
What the books cost
Enrollment in the Imagination Library is free to families, but delivery is not free to the organizations that sponsor it.
“Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is free for families with children from birth through age 5, but each mailed book costs Laurens County First Steps about $1.18,” said Toni Able, executive director of Laurens County First Steps. “We are fortunate that the South Carolina governor and General Assembly have allocated state funding to cover half the cost for local Imagination Library affiliates.”
The remaining cost falls to local fundraising, which is what the September campaign is built to cover.
Local reach
Since fall 2023, Laurens County First Steps estimates the program has served more than 2,300 local children and mailed 28,441 books to their homes. About 1,600 children currently receive a book in the mail each month, and every Laurens County ZIP code is covered.
Interest climbed after Parton’s death on Aug. 25. First Steps recorded 106 pending registrations for new children in the days that followed.
“Every one of those books arrives at a child’s home with that child’s name on it, and that matters,” Able said. “When a book shows up every month, reading becomes part of the family routine and helps prepare children to enter kindergarten ready to learn.”
How to give and how to enroll
Individuals, businesses, churches and civic organizations can give at https://donate.imaginationlibrary.com/?country=US&affid=SCLAURENS55. Donations made through that link are designated for Laurens County children.
Parents, grandparents and other caregivers can enroll a child at imaginationlibrary.com by selecting “check availability” and entering the child’s ZIP code. Families who want help with the process can contact Laurens County First Steps at 864-984-8130, email [email protected].
With two weeks left in the campaign, First Steps is betting that a county that mailed 28,441 books to its children can find a few more $95 gifts before Sept. 25.
