A child looks through books during the 2023 Storybook Breakfast, a fundraiser for Imagination Library of Johnson County. The organization, which provides free books to kids under 5, is starting the search to hire its first paid employee, a part-time director. SUBMITTED PHOTO
The monumental growth has been a good problem to have.
When Susan Crisafulli decided to form a chapter of Imagination Library in Johnson County eight years ago, there were only a few hundred children signed up for the organization. She and her volunteer board could offer their own time to raise money, sign up families for the book distribution program and get books to young readers.
Now, as the group closes in on 5,000 enrolled kids, it’s time for the group to take its next step.
“When it started, I thought it was something that could be run by volunteers in their spare time. And it could be,” said Susan Crisafulli, president and founder of Imagination Library of Johnson County. “But given our location, our population, we have a lot of kids and a lot of families who are hungry for books. We love that because we want kids to get our books and fall in love with reading.
“It’s wonderful that we’re at this point where we can hire someone who can help take the organization into the future.”
Imagination Library of Johnson County is preparing to hire its first paid position — a part-time director who will focus on continuing the grow the organization and get books in more kids’ hands. Made possible through a matching grant with the Johnson County Community Foundation, having a dedicated employee will allow the organization to continue expanding and spreading the love of literacy.
“It’s just so wonderful that it’s grown so quickly. I can manage it, but there are so many opportunities for the organization to grow,” Crisafulli said. “We have managed beautifully as a team of volunteers to come together and make things happen. But we’re getting to the point where we need somebody who can devote their time and energy to it.”
Imagination Library is an organization founded by Dolly Parton in 1995. The idea was to help children in her home of Sevier County, Tennessee, achieve their dreams, stimulating their imaginations and encouraging reading within the family at an early age.
Through her foundation, Parton was able to send every child in the county who signed up a book each month.
The concept is simple — children are mailed a free book each month from birth through age 4, for a total of 60 free books by the time they enter kindergarten. Children “graduate” from the program on their fifth birthday. The first book the children receive is “The Little Engine That Could,” which includes a welcome letter from Dolly. The last book they receive is “Look Out, Kindergarten, Here I Come!”
Johnson County founded a chapter of the Imagination Library in 2017, in response to low kindergarten readiness rates in the county. Organizers raised money to provide books for kids in different zip codes, starting in Franklin and adding communities as funding for the books has been available.
Greenwood, with its dense population and a large number of children eligible for the program, was the last to be added in late 2022.
That growth has necessitated Imagination Library leaders to plan for the future.
“We have a lot of opportunities to grow further that I don’t have the time and capacity to be able to do,” Crisafulli said.
The idea to add a paid director position took shape in early 2024. Crisafulli attended a workshop offered by the community foundation to learn about various grant programs.
Community foundation leaders were starting a new program. The Capital and Capacity Building Community Projects Matching Grant Cycle became possible after the Johnson County Community Foundation received a matching fund grant totaling $3 million as part of the eighth phase of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s initiative, Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow.
Grants would be designated for community projects and programs, as well as capacity-building activities.
“We were really looking for something that would be transformative for the organization — move the organization forward,” said David Payne, chair of the grants committee for Johnson County Community Foundation, during the grant distribution in August.
As Crisafulli learned at the workshop, adding a director would fall into the grant parameters.
“I didn’t to that meeting thinking, I need to figure out a way to hire somebody. But they were talking about these capacity-building grants, to build something large or even hire somebody,” she said.
Imagination Library board members tracked the amount of time then spent on monthly activities for the organization, to determine if they needed a full-time director or a part-time. In the end, they decided to start with a part-time position.
In August, Imagination Library of Johnson County was awarded a $15,000 grant from the community foundation. They’ve been working to match that amount to cover the new director’s salary.
Now, leaders feel they are in a prime position to open up their search. A notice about the position will be posted in early February, and Imagination Library leaders will start reviewing applications by the end of the month.
The goal is to have the position filled by April or May at the latest, Crisafulli said. That way, they can use the summer months to help pass on the knowledge she’s gained over eight years.
“I just need some time where I can work with the new person we hire to just be available for any help they need, to help them understand what we’ve done so far,” Crisafulli said.
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