The United Way of Greater Oswego County, (UWGOC), a partner of The Literacy Coalition of Oswego County (LCOC), was recently awarded a grant from the Garrett Dunsmoor Memorial Foundation for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program, which is offered through LCOC.
Paul Gugel, LCOC president, said that the Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth until their fifth birthday, regardless of the family’s income. Every school district in Oswego County participates in the program. “Working with Patrick Dewine, UWGOC Executive Director, we are extremely grateful to have received the support from the Dunsmoor Memorial Foundation, which has generously provided for this important early literacy program.”
The foundation was created in memory of Garrett Dunsmoor who died at just 22 years old in 2018. According to the foundation’s website (www.garrettdunsmoormemorialfoundation.com) : “He was an incredible young man whose positive attitude, sense of humor, and compassion for others left an impact on everyone who knew him. While Garrett is not here to fulfill his destiny we know he would be happy and proud to help provide other students with the opportunities that he had earned.”
LCOC members Patrick Dewine and Mike Egan, past LCOC president, helped launch the program in November 2018. Since then, over 3,500 children have been registered with Imagination Library. As of March 31, 2021, 2,681 children were active in the program, and 671 children have “graduated” from the program.
The Literacy Coalition of Oswego County is a coalition of local organizations and individuals dedicated to improving literacy in our county. The LCOC works to address the literacy needs of people of all ages, the areas they cover include basic literacy, workforce literacy, computer literacy, health literacy, and financial literacy. “The Literacy Coalition of Oswego County is dedicated to supporting and expanding literacy services so that people can work, our economy can grow, families can thrive, and our community can prosper,” Gugel said.
For more information about The Literacy Coalition of Oswego County, visit www.oswegocounty.com and click on the “Government” and then ”Administration” tabs for their website, or find them on Facebook. Visit imaginationlibrary.com for more information and to register a child so they can experience the excitement of receiving a new book delivered just to them each month!
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