The Charlotte County Imagination Library is an affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which originated in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1995. The Imagination Library has grown to serve over 3.1 million children across the United States as well as Canada, Australia, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
The Charlotte County Imagination Library was launched in 2011 by local salon and spa business owner Shawn Gilstad of The Purple House Salon. Growing up in Tennessee Shawn had seen firsthand what a difference the gift of literacy could mean for the children of a community. Shawn’s vision of bringing the gift of literacy to Charlotte County children required that he partner with an established 501(c)3 Non-Profit. Shawn joined forces with Sherrie Moody of the Charlotte Players, the oldest 501(c)3 in Charlotte County, and a great partnership was formed which continues today.
In 2021, the Gilstad Literacy Foundation was established to manage Charlotte County Imagination Library as a 501c3 non-profit corporation. Our program is run by local educators, business owners, and community supporters and is funded by local business sponsors and community donations.
Our purpose is to promote early childhood development, encourage parent-child interaction, enhance children’s literacy, and better prepare youngsters for kindergarten.
We welcome all children under the age of five to enroll in this program. There is no better time to start reading to a child than now. The Charlotte County Imagination Library is excited to be able to offer this service to the children and parents of our community!
Early childhood literacy is what children know before they learn to read.
• Encourages positive parent-child interactions
• Improves readiness for kindergarten
• Sets the foundation for success in school, which sets the foundation for success in life.
• Recognize pictures, numbers and words
• Understand what a story is
• Know how to flip through a book
• Know the joy of receiving a gift in the mail every month
• Love reading stories with their parents or caregivers
• Are better prepared for kindergarten
• Parents register their children by completing a simple form
• Children can be enrolled online in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library by going to www.imaginationlibrary.com
• Approximately 2 months after registration, the first book arrives in the mail, from the Dollywood Foundation in a clear plastic wrapper so it is immediately recognizable.
• A new book arrives in the mail free of charge to the family every single month until the child’s fifth birthday
Your one-year, tax-deductible sponsorship of $50 will support the cost of managing the Charlotte County Imagination Library (CCIL) program to provide 12 books to a child, one monthly. The books will be delivered directly to the child by the U.S. Postal Service. You can click on the DONATE button on this website to sponsor one or many children, or mail a check payable to CCIL to P.O. Box 510001, Punta Gorda, FL 33951-0001. Contact us if you would like more information!
Your name will be placed on the labels of all the books that are mailed to the families in a specific month. Your $500, tax-deductible donation will place your business, organization or personal name in front of about 2,600 parents. You can sponsor for one or more months. Contact us today to learn more!
