United Way staff meets with governor, wife
Katie Koglman, left, and Carrolyn Salazar, right, of United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties flank Ohio First Lady Fran Dewine at the Governor's Mansion in Columbus on Dec. 9.
United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties staff attended a reception hosted by Mike and Fran Dewine, the Ohio governor and first lady, on Dec. 9 in Columbus to celebrate the launch of the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library and partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. UWWH is the local affiliate of this program, which gives children free books from birth to age 5.
UWWH has partnered with the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library and Dollywood Foundation to expand this program into both counties they support: Holmes and Wayne. Katie Koglman, executive director, and Carrolyn Salazar, manager of public relations, attended the day’s events.
The day started off at COSI, which brought together more than 130 people representing nearly every county in Ohio. They heard from the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library staff and a member of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library team from Tennessee.
“We know that reading to children, teaching children to read and owning books leads to higher academic achievement. Our aim is to help children succeed at life,” Koglman said. “We have had our program up and running for a little over a month and already have over 600 children registered for the program between both counties. We want every child in our communities (birth to age 5) enrolled. There are no socio-economic restrictions; the program is simply about getting books into the hands of children.”
Statewide, there are approximately 102,000 children enrolled in the program.
The day continued at the Governor’s Mansion, where Koglman and Salazar had time to speak with the governor and first lady.
“This is an experience that we will always remember,” Salazar said. “The governor and first lady were so welcoming. The excitement from the morning carried over into the afternoon. Literacy for all children in the state of Ohio was the clear focus.”
The Dewines spoke to guests in the Great Room of the mansion, which served as motivation to have the biggest Imagination Library in the country.
Ohio has set aside $5 million in the budget for the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library and will pay 50 percent of each county's fees for the program. UWWH is funding the other 50 percent for both Holmes and Wayne and will seek support from community members.
To enroll a child, visit Holmes County at www.imaginationlibrary.com/usa/affiliate/OHHOLMES/ or Wayne County at www.imaginationlibrary.com/usa/affiliate/OHWAYNE/ or call UWWH at 330-264-5576 to register.
UWWH was founded in 1957 to serve as a resource for the community and its network of nonprofit organizations. For more information on its work, visit www.uwwh.org.
UWWH is located at 215 S. Walnut St. in Wooster.