2020 has been one for the books!

COVID-19 restrictions have limited our ability to both enroll children through in-person community outreach and raise important funds to sustain and fund YCIL. Our 1st Annual fundraising event for YCIL, A Moveable Feast, was scheduled for Saturday, March 14, 2020, and had to be cancelled on Thursday, March 12th.

YES has had to be creative in terms of both fundraising and outreach for YCIL. We’ve connected with families online through social media and email and worked closely with organizations that service families with children under five to keep the program top of mind and encourage enrollment.

During this period of quarantine, Yamhill County Imagination Library is more important than ever as it reduces physical and economic barriers to book ownership and helps families create home libraries and establish regular reading routines. This is particularly important in an agricultural community like Yamhill County where around 16% of the population lives at or below the poverty line and 62% of students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals – many without the means to engage in early literacy skill development.

The program has continued to thrive in 2020, and the numbers speak for themselves!

 

YCIL is open to every Yamhill County child from birth to age 5. Themes of the books include love of reading and learning; regard for diversity of people; promotion of self-esteem and confidence. This program could help every family in Yamhill County build a library of as many as 60 books and foster a love of literacy, family interaction and relationship building.

YCIL is the result of a partnership between YES and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL). DPIL manages the selection, pricing and distribution of books while YES raises the money to cover the cost of approximately $25 per child per year.

Our book fees for 2020 were over $70,000!

YES funds this program through a combination of grants, local fundraisers, individual, foundation and business contributions.  Every $25 donated provides a year’s worth of books for one Yamhill County child!

For businesses and individuals interested in making larger contributions, check out our YCIL Annual Sponsorship Program.  We’re so thankful to everyone who’s signed on to date, including the following:

Literary Agent ($5,000)
Ford Family Foundation
The John and Ginger Niemeyer Foundation + The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF)
Yamhill Community Care Organization

Head Librarian ($2,500-$4,999)

Story Teller ($1,000-$2,499)
Physicians Medical Center
McMinnville Kiwanis
Dr. Jackie Eriksen

Reading Buddy ($500-$999)
First Federal
Haugeberg, Rueter, Gowell, Fredricks & Higgins, P.C.

Every month as we add children, young readers are graduating but we’re pressing toward our enrollment goal of 3,000 in 2021.

You can help!  Individuals can make donations here and or email about YCIL Annual Sponsorship Program.

More important, please let Yamhill County families know about the program!  They can enroll online here.