LTC (ret.) Eugene DeLoach, Sr. loved serving his community and valued educating our youth. In his memory, Dr. Regina DeLoach and family created an entity, Footsteps to Greatness (FTG). FTG gave a very generous donation to Lawton Public School Foundation for seed money to implement the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Lawton.
The goal of Imagination Library is to gift high-quality books monthly, free of charge, to all children birth to age 5 in the Lawton-Fort Sill community. Lawton Public School Foundation and Lawton Public Schools are collaborating with our community to provide this program. Imagination Library will positively impact our young learners. Our desire is to change the undesirable current trends in Oklahoma literacy data. A child’s brain starts developing at three months and 90% of brain growth happens before kindergarten. Research shows that reading to a child, even before they are born, increases their brain growth. Free books are mailed to all children between birth and five years old that have a Lawton-Fort Sill address, regardless of the family’s income. Dolly Parton envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading and inspiring children to “Dream More, Learn More, Care More and Be More. To sustain this program, we need the support of our community. The cost per month will vary as enrollment increases. We estimate the cost to sponsor the program for a month will be approximately $2,000. We will gladly accept a donation of any size. A donation of $2,000 or more will allow you (business or individual) to personalize the label of each book for a month. In addition, your gift is a tax deduction!
For more information about the program, please visit imaginationlibrary.com.
Contact: Dr. Regina DeLoach (580) 357-6900 | Lisa Carson (580) 585-6251