Hon. Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia: Honourable senators, I rise today to recognize the meaningful work of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library as well as the very exciting expansion of this initiative to my home province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Imagination Library is the main program provided by Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Foundation, which was founded by the legendary musician in 1995 to honour her father who could not read or write. The program seeks to promote early childhood literacy and a love for reading by gifting children a book at no cost every month during their first five years of life. The books are carefully selected by developmental professionals and are age appropriate for the children receiving them. Since the program’s initiation, over 174 million books have been mailed to children in five countries, with 1.9 million books being mailed to children every month.

After learning that Newfoundland and Labrador had not yet been involved in the Imagination Library program, Carolyn Clarke, a member of my community and a devoted educator, championed the efforts herself to find sponsors in the Twillingate, New World Island and Boyd’s Cove areas. It is now reported that 90% of children in our communities have been successfully registered for the program and have already received their first book. She has received invaluable support from Renee Sherstobetoff, who is also a fellow Newfoundlander.

The Imagination Library program in Newfoundland and Labrador is now set to expand across the province after The Waltons Trust provided a generous gift that will make it possible for the children all across my province to have access to these gifted books. This is made possible with the integral support of Senior Regional Director Jeanne Smitiuch and her team.

Honourable senators, I know we can all agree on the importance of childhood literacy development and encouragement of reading habits early on in a person’s life and health. I encourage everyone who is interested in exploring the work of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to visit their website to learn more.

I’d like to thank and recognize our former Senate colleague Diane Griffin, whose passionate advocacy led to Prince Edward Island being the first in Canada to launch this program as a province-wide initiative. Her tremendous efforts continue to impact the lives of many as she writes her next chapter, and we miss her dearly. Thank you to Nora Briggs from The Dollywood Foundation U.S.A., The Waltons Trust and the Northwest Territories Literacy Council for your ongoing commitment to childhood literacy, development and to our future.

Perhaps what saddens me the most today is that “Jolene” could not be here; she, unfortunately, did take off with her man. Thank you, meegwetch.