East Central Reporter

Adam Niemerg, the state representative for Illinois House District 102, said that Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is contributing to fostering a love of reading in children and ensuring they have the necessary tools for academic success.

"Thank you to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for their commitment to early childhood literacy and making a profound difference in the lives of Illinois children," said Adam M. Niemerg, State Representative for 102nd District (R), according to Facebook. "Covering several of the counties in my district, the Imagination Library provides free, high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five—regardless of family income. This is helping to foster a lifelong love of reading and ensuring that every child has the tools they need for academic success and lifelong learning. Research shows that children who participate in the Imagination Library increase their kindergarten readiness by nearly 29%."

In a Facebook post, Niemerg shared a map of Illinois counties with a color key indicating where the Imagination Library is active, where it is launching soon, and where community partners are still needed. District 102 includes all or parts of Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Jasper, Lawrence, Richland, Shelby, and Clay counties. According to the map, there is full program coverage in Crawford, Douglas, Edgar, Jasper, and Shelby counties. Clark and Effingham counties have partial coverage while Coles and Cumberland counties are listed as coming soon. Community partners are still needed to launch the program in Clay, Richland, and Lawrence counties.

Screenshot of State Representative Adam NIemerg's May 2 Facebook post | State Representative Adam Niemerg's Facebook page.

The Imagination Library is a nonprofit organization providing one book per month to more than three million children in the U.S. and around the world. According to a letter from Dolly Parton explaining the inspiration behind the program and its impact: "In the beginning my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to well over 3 million children," Parton wrote.

The program began its statewide expansion in December 2023. A press release from the Imagination Library said that Illinois’ fiscal year 2024 budget included $1.6 million to support the program and promote early childhood learning. "I am so excited to announce that Illinois is expanding my Imagination Library statewide. Thank you to Governor JB Pritzker and all our local program partners across Illinois who worked so hard to make this dream a reality," Parton said in the release. As of December 2023 announcement, the program was active in parts of 40 counties across the state with nearly 30,000 children enrolled.

Niemerg has represented the 109th District in the Illinois General Assembly since January 13th, 2021. A native of Teutopolis he earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University after attending Lake Land College. Professionally he worked as a senior claims adjuster with Country Financial.