Township of South Algonquin

The best way to send kids off to a flying start in life is this: give them families and communities who support reading. Time spent together reading builds language and literacy and helps children develop important social and emotional skills. It also readies children for school and all of the wonderful learning experiences ahead by providing the opportunity to be curious and creative. Being surrounded by adults who read has a profound affect not only in childhood, but throughout life – children who come from supportive communities that foster these skills grow up to become adults who support the communities they live in and foster these skills in the next generation.

But we also know that many children in rural communities face challenges with accessing reading material for all kinds of reasons, and it puts them at a disadvantage. To close this gap, Four Corners Algonquin wants to give every family with children under the age of five in our community the opportunity to spend quality time reading. We are pleased to partner with the Dolly Foundation's Imagination Library to provide EVERY child residing in the Township of South Algonquin with a high-quality age appropriate book each month from birth to their fifth birthday at no cost to families.

This program is funded by Four Corners Algonquin in Whitney, and through generous donations made through CanadaHelps.org to our affiliate chapter. Each book costs on average $4.50 to purchase and mail. All administrative costs are paid for by the Dolly Foundation. Eighty communities in Ontario benefit from this program, which is now available in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Australia.