Dr. Honora Norton, RCSL Public Image Director
The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes (RCSL) supports many educational opportunities within the East Valley. One is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL). Since launching in 1995, DPIL has become the premier early childhood book gifting program in the world and has mailed over 200 million free books in all 50 states as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland. Currently, the program mails over two million specially selected, age-appropriate books monthly to registered children from birth to age five. Recent studies suggest participation in the DPIL is positively and significantly associated with higher measures of early language and math development and gives preschool children a big boost toward a successful education.
Dolly Parton’s vision was to create a lifelong love of reading, prepare children for school, and inspire them to dream, as well as support her desire to improve each child’s educational opportunities. RCSL partnered with the Dolly Parton Foundation in 2019 to provide books to children in four East Valley zip codes at no cost to the family. RCSL currently has over 1,100 children registered in its program, and it is rapidly growing. These books are available at no cost for children from birth until their fifth birthday.
RCSL’s first Reverse Draw Raffle will be held on Jan. 20, 2024, from 4:30 to 7 p.m., at the Sunset Grill at Sun Lakes HOA1, 25601 S. Sun Lakes Blvd., in Sun Lakes.
Four hundred reverse draw tickets will be sold at $100 each. All the net proceeds will be used to enable RCSL to expand its current registrations to purchase books for more children under the age of five. How does the Reverse Draw Raffle work? All names are posted on a screen, and as names are drawn, they are eliminated. The last name on the board is the winner of the $10,000 grand prize!
To support this amazing program and to purchase a ticket, go to the RCSL website, www.sunlakesrotary.com, and look for the Imagination Library raffle information on the right side of the RCSL homepage, or use the QR code.
Additionally, RCSL is looking for corporate sponsors and any individual donations. For only $150, one child would receive one book a month from birth until their fifth birthday—that’s 60 books! To donate online, please visit tinyurl.com/2p8yjbxu. For more information, you can contact Val Crump at [email protected].