Stephanie Miller-Davis Fund Investing in Children

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

- Dr. Seuss

Whether it is as a language and literacy skill development tool, or as a way for children (and adults) to have fun, reading can be a vital part of success and early brain development. In fact, many claim that reading to your pre-school aged child is the most beneficial way to prepare them for school. Unfortunately, not all children have adequate access to age appropriate reading material.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a program that supplies books to youth ages birth – 5 years. Not only are these books free for the families that participate, but they are mailed directly to the child. The South Dakota Community Foundation would like to see this program operating in more communities.

On April 1, 2010, Stephanie Miller-Davis passed away from cancer. Stephanie was born and raised in Murdo, S.D. Throughout her lifetime, Stephanie was an active advocate for education, especially reading. She was one of the founding organizers of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Jones County, and had donated numerous books to the school library so that children would have plenty of good books to read.

The Stephanie Miller-Davis Fund was established to remember Stephanie while continuing the great work she did during her lifetime. This fund supports communities who are willing to establish a Dolly Parton Imagination Library for their children. The fund will pay for 100% of the program costs through year four, and 50% of the costs in year five. The SDCF will work with the community to find local champions to fund the initiative fully after the first four years. This fund is ready to work for the children in your community. We just need a few passionate champions who are ready to help.

Reading is essential to helping kids grow up happy and healthy. With the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, we can put books in the hands of children who might not have them otherwise. If you would like to start a program in your town, please contact us today! To view the fund page, please visit this link.