Saint Francis University’s Dolly Parton Imagination Library project ending

University’s Dolly Parton Imagination Library to shut down due to lack of funds

LORETTO -- Saint Francis University has delivered nearly 200,000 books to Cambria County children under the age of 5 through its Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program. Now the program will shut down at the end of the month due to lack of funds.

According to Erin McCloskey, the university's communications and marketing vice president, the program was made possible entirely through external donations. The university was able to launch it with state funding and generous support from donors but -- despite continued efforts -- they were not able to raise the necessary $85,000 to sustain the program, she said.

"Without the necessary external funding, we've made the difficult decision to step away," university officials said in a statement.

"We are deeply grateful to the families, donors and partners who make this initiative possible, and we remain hopeful that a new sponsor will step forward to continue this important work in our community," the statement said.

State Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, said the university received a $50,000 state grant to get the program started in 2021 and later received another $25,000 state grant to keep it going.

According to Burns, the 1889 Foundation also gave $25,000 to fund the program early on. But the program needed continual support from community organizations in order to survive and failed to receive it, he said.

"To keep a program like this going for the little bit of money that it costs, it's a travesty that this was forced to close," Burns said.

Burns was critical of both the 1889 Foundation and the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies for not stepping in to save the program, noting they each have millions of dollars and the cost to provide one child with a book for a year is $26.

Susan Mann, the 1889 Foundation's president, said the foundation was "very happy" to provide funding to help the program get established. The foundation does not typically continue to fund single programs like imagination libraries, she said, noting many of the programs the foundation supports are more systems-level focused and collaborative in nature.

"There are so many great programs that are out there and we obviously would love to be able to fund them all," Mann said. "However, the 1889 Foundation really prioritizes our funding toward health and wellness-focused system-level collaborations that address the root causes of a person's health."

Mann said the 1889 Foundation was formerly known as the Conemaugh Health Foundation. It became the 1889 Foundation when Conemaugh Hospital folded to Duke LifePoint and became a for-profit entity. The foundation separated from the system and received a portion of the proceeds from the sale to fund health and wellness-related initiatives in Cambria and Somerset counties, she explained.

Burns said the 1889 Foundation is funded by the community's money since Conemaugh Hospital was a community-owned hospital. He argues literacy is important to a person's health and well-being.

"(The 1889 Foundation) funded other projects that had nothing related to health care and here's a simple program that could have such an impact on our community; it's a travesty that these community groups didn't step up to fund it," Burns said.

As for the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, executive director Angie Berzonski said they support imagination libraries in Bedford and Somerset counties and believe it's a strong program.

According to Berzonski, the Cambria County program at Saint Francis University never applied for funding from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies.

"I looked in our system and they started an application this spring but they withdrew it," Berzonski said. "I'm not sure why they didn't fully submit their application to us. But we do support early childhood (and) we support imagination libraries."

Berzonski said Saint Francis University held a public meeting to talk about the dire straits the program's funding was in and representatives from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies were present at that meeting.

"Our program officer there let people know we do support (imagination libraries)," Berzonski said. "I thought they were going to apply and then they didn't."

Burns said he suspects the university withdrew its application because the amount that could have been awarded wouldn't have been enough money to keep the program running.

Burns said that losing the only Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Cambria County will have a "detrimental effect on our area."

"When you have that many kids getting books and reading with their parents and those books are in their homes, the likelihood of success in that kid's education is going to be greater than if they didn't have those books," Burns said. "It's just common sense."

Cambria Heights Superintendent Ken Kerchenske said he agrees, noting studies have shown that one of the most important factors that contributes to how well a child does when they get to kindergarten is how much they've been read to at home before coming to school.

Kerchenske said he first heard of the program about three years ago while attending an educational advisory meeting at the university. Cambria Heights then posted about the program on its website and Facebook page, he said.

Based on the amount of engagement the district's post received, Kerchenske said he believes there are many families in the district who signed up for the program but will no longer receive free books in the mail after this month.

"If one of the barriers to reading at home is access to books, then the imagination library was able to provide free books to those families," he said, noting Cambria Heights makes annual donations to the Patton, Hastings and Carrolltown public libraries.

"We would encourage any of our families to visit those local libraries if they're not doing so already," Kerchenske said, stressing the importance of reading to children at a young age.