Indiana’s First Lady Maureen Braun visited the Allen County Public Library Wednesday to read to children in honor of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
Braun has taken the Imagination Library on as a personal project following the removal of state funding for the program from the Indiana budget last year.
ACPL executive director Susan Baier said the library was honored to host Braun. She also said local funding to make up for the loss has shown people’s passion for the program.
“This is a program that our community has really embraced," Baier said. "And we get donations from individuals, we’ve had donations from charities and from foundations and from businesses. We envision this program having legs and going on for years to come.”
Braun read aloud from The Little Engine That Could, Dolly Parton’s favorite book, to a group of children before signing copies of the book for each of them.
Earlier this year, Braun announced her fundraising for the Imagination Library was 90% of the way to its goal, but didn’t say what the goal was or how much money had been raised.
