Building Home Libraries with Jamie Lima

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Jamie Lima, state director for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of West Virginia. She tells me how the program mails free books every month to kids from birth to age five to help build home libraries and improve school readiness. It’s been in West Virginia since 2006 and went statewide in 2020. Jamie explains that while people think Dolly funds everything, the program actually depends on local partners and fundraising. Her work focuses on building those relationships and keeping the support strong for the 50,000 kids currently enrolled. She also shares details about the upcoming Dolly Dash 5K happening on August 9 in Huntington, which is Dolly Day in West Virginia. People can run or just register to support the cause and even dress up like Dolly to win prizes. Jamie says they’re still looking for sponsors and encourages folks to visit dollybookswv.com to learn more or get involved.