Excitement filled the air on Monday, May 19, as Anson County Partnership for Children was awarded 4,440 hard cover books by a First Book grant worth $73,163. This grant was made possible through a generous donation from Random House Publishing.

First Book was established in 1992 and since then has distributed more than 50 million new books to organizations across the United States. First Book collaborates with agencies that work with low income populations to ensure that millions of children are given the chance to experience the joy of reading. First Book, like Anson County Partnership for Children, believes that every child, no matter their family’s income, should be able to enjoy high quality new books in their homes. The Anson County Partnership for Children will distribute these books to child care providers, Pre-K, kindergarten, and first and second grade classrooms, as well as to children attending Partnership events and local festivals in the near future.

The mission of the Anson County Partnership for Children is “helping make Anson County a better place to be a child and to raise a child.” Providing books for children is especially important in Anson County where approximately one in three adults is functionally illiterate. The Partnership’s signature literacy initiative, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, currently has over 900 registered children between the ages of birth and five years who receive a free book in the mail each month. The Partnership is grateful to First Book for their very generous donation of books for the enjoyment and learning of all children in Anson County.