Columbiana children can receive free reading books through Bright Side Project, Imagination Library

The Bright Side Project of Salem, a non-profit organization created to help children of Columbiana County, is announcing the launching of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for children with the county, offering free books for children under 5 years of age.

With the Ohio Governor's Imagination Library contributing 50 percent of the cost for each enrolled child, The Brightside Project has committed to meet the additional cost with help from the community. 

Local agencies and organizations are already stepping up to help financially including the Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, the Columbiana County Board of Developmental Disabilities and the Crestview PTO.  With nearly 6,000 eligible children in Columbiana County, The Brightside Project's goal is to get books in to the homes of all children under the age of 5 in the county and is looking for additional financial partners who want to help achieve that goal.

"We know a lot of people in our county have been anxiously awaiting this program and we are excited for the opportunity to be the Columbiana County affiliate because we know how important literacy is to a child's development," says Lisa Wallace, The Brightside Project's Co-Director.  "By the age of three, roughly 85 percent of a brain's core structure is formed and children exposed to early language and literacy experiences in the home during this time prove to become good readers and excel in school," says Wallace.

In order to participate in the program, other than age, a child must reside in Columbiana County to be eligible for the program. Parents/guardians can enroll all eligible children by going to www.brightsideprojectohio.org or ohioimaginationlibrary.org/enroll. Children who enroll before Nov. 1 will receive their first book in December. 

For more information or to make a financial contribution to the project, call 234-320-4005, or e-mail [email protected].

Marcy Patton, Executive Director of the Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board explained that board members were in total support of the project voting unanimously at their September meeting to contribute $20,000 to help launch the program. 

"While we often think of mental health services as helping people who are having problems, the prevention of problems by promoting healthy emotional development is equally as important," Patton explained and noted that early literacy has been directly tied to improved social emotional skills, such as confidence, the capacity to develop relationships, communication of emotions, listening skills, and problem solving.  

Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has has mailed well over 100 million free books in Australia, Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom and the United States.

The Imagination Library mails more than 1.4 million high-quality, age-appropriate books each month to registered children from birth to age five.