Charles City Area Chamber Ambassadors learn about free books program, other area United Way activities

To The Press

The Charles City Area Chamber Ambassadors in December learned about a special early childhood education offering available to all children in Floyd County, ages 0-5, at no cost to them. That’s thanks to the United Way of North Central Iowa and its involvement with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program.

United Way representative Nate Ruge met with the Ambassadors at the Charles City Area Chamber of Commerce office to discuss the book program, as well as other programs that his agency is involved in.

“United Way of North Central Iowa is unique in that we cover eight counties,” Ruge said.

Most United Way programs cover a single city or county, but the North Central Iowa program unites several “really strong communities with strong character and strong histories.”

Even though the North Central Iowa communities are located a little farther away from each other, “we are a very interconnected place, that really supports our neighbors,” Ruge said. “Staying connected and giving back is a really important thing that United Way values – the idea of working together for the community.”

The eight counties in the area organization are Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Kossuth, Mitchell, Winnebago and Worth.

While the United way is involved in a number of projects and activities, one of the best known is the annual Kids Shoe Drive held in conjunction with the National Night Out events, Ruge said.

“This past year we were able to distribute almost 1,000 pairs of shoes across Mason City, Charles City and Forest City. It’s a huge program,” he said.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which was started in 1995 by the legendary singer and provides free books to children, is another popular and influential program supported by the area United Way.

Books are sent every month to participants’ homes to encourage early childhood literacy, parents spending time with their kids reading, and supporting kids in the years before they start school, Ruge said.

“It helps kids feel more prepared and successful when they get to school,” he added

The program started out in Parton’s hometown in Tennessee. Currently there are 2 million books being distributed every month across the U.S., Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

“It has grown immensely because it just works,” Roth said. “It is a very simple program where the books are mailed to people’s homes. The kids are excited to receive something each month and it is a great opportunity for families to reinvest time in their kids. It’s just a wonderful program.”

This is the third year that the United Way of North Central Iowa has been taking registrations for the program.

Ruge said that in the first two years alone, 175 kids in Floyd County were registered and began receiving books through the program. According to U.S. Census figures there are potentially 900 kids in the county under the age of 5 that could have access to these free books.

“It’s a really important program and it’s really cost-effective,” Ruge said. The cost for the program to provide the books is $30 per year per child.

“What it does is make that family feel valued,” he said. “As a new parent it is crazy time where you are running all over just trying to figure things out, and to have a gift sent from your community is a really wonderful way to make them feel valued.”

When people feel valued and welcome in a community they are more likely to stay, he said. “This program is a great way to invest in young families and keep them in North Iowa.”

North Iowa is one of the few places that United Way offers this program, according to Ruge. Any child, age 0-5, is eligible to be registered in the program as long as they reside in UWNCI’s 8-county region. Businesses and organizations can help the United Way fund the program through financial support.

“One hundred percent of the money invested in this program stays and goes back out to North Iowa,” said Ruge. “That’s a big part of the United Way effort is that all money donated here stays here.”

United Way of North Central Iowa is located at 520 S. Pierce Ave. in Mason City. Call 641-423-1774 for more information, or stop in at the Charles City Chamber office at 401 N. Main St. to learn more or for a Dolly Parton Imagination Library registration sheet.