United Way of Middle Tennessee awarded $25,000 grant to support The Imagination Library Program
Funding to support book delivery to children from birth to age five
The United Way of Middle Tennessee announced that it has received a $25,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to support The Imagination Library’s book delivery program.
The grant will serve 2,083 children in Williamson County by delivering one book to their home each month for a year. Imagination Library through the United Way of Greater Nashville, the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation and The Dollywood Foundation, delivers one book per month to children from birth through age five across Davidson, Williamson and Sumner counties at no cost to families, regardless of income. Imagination Library delivers books to more than 8,900 children in Williamson County. In 2019, ILMT served 44,141 children, delivering 514,173 books to their homes at no cost.
“With the rate of unemployment, public library closures and many caregivers’ hesitancy to go out in public to purchase books, the gift of a monthly book delivered directly to a child’s home, regardless of economic background, has been a light for many who are struggling. We are grateful for PNC’s generosity and helping to instill a love of reading for children in our community,” said United Way of Greater Nashville President and CEO Brian Hassett. “We hope this gift inspires others to support early literacy and to give kids in our neighborhoods the right start in life.”
The Imagination Library’s book delivery program builds on the foundation of PNC’s philanthropic commitment to the region and long-standing focus on early childhood education through its Grow Up Great® initiative.
“PNC’s commitment to Tennessee is unwavering as we collectively navigate the overwhelming challenges posed in our current environment,” said Mike Johnson, PNC regional president for Tennessee. “We recognize our role as a pillar of the communities we serve and actively work with initiatives like the Imagination Library of Middle Tennessee to provide solutions that meet fundamental needs of our local families and children.”
For more information about Imagination Library, visit unitedwaynashville.org/programs/imagination-library-of-middle-tennessee.
About PNC Foundation
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.
About United Way of Greater Nashville
At United Way, we unite the community and mobilize resources so that every child, individual and family thrives. Together, we are working to create a community where every child receives a quality education, no one lives in poverty or poor health, and the most basic needs of our families are met. We are uniquely positioned to the lead this fight by bringing individuals, businesses, nonprofits and government to the table to have the tough conversations, mobilize the resources and make the smart investments that will create lasting solutions for our region’s most pressing issues. For more information, visit unitedwaynashville.org and follow us on social media @UWNashville.