"I GREW up poor and ragged in the hills of east Tennessee.
I knew my dreams would come true and I know there are people in British communities with their own dreams.
They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer.
The seeds of these dreams are often found in books. The seeds people help plant in their community can grow across the world.
The Imagination Library Program is one of the most important ways I know to improve the educational opportunities for children.
We have seen it work in our own backyard and I’m certain it can do the same in British communities too.
We were contacted by the Rotherham people last year. They were in the US working on some other things when a girl from Tennessee tourism told them about the program.
This year we are distributing 11million books in the US. We started in Canada last year and now we’re coming to Britain.
But we don’t want to go where we’re not necessarily wanted. We only want to go in where we can help.
It’s not just for poor children – it’s for all children.
From the day they’re born, they will get a book a month till they are five. All the books arrive in their name in the mail.
In my backyard the children call me the Book Lady – they think I actually bring the books myself. "
I knew my dreams would come true and I know there are people in British communities with their own dreams.
They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer.
The seeds of these dreams are often found in books. The seeds people help plant in their community can grow across the world.
The Imagination Library Program is one of the most important ways I know to improve the educational opportunities for children.
We have seen it work in our own backyard and I’m certain it can do the same in British communities too.
We were contacted by the Rotherham people last year. They were in the US working on some other things when a girl from Tennessee tourism told them about the program.
This year we are distributing 11million books in the US. We started in Canada last year and now we’re coming to Britain.
But we don’t want to go where we’re not necessarily wanted. We only want to go in where we can help.
It’s not just for poor children – it’s for all children.
From the day they’re born, they will get a book a month till they are five. All the books arrive in their name in the mail.
In my backyard the children call me the Book Lady – they think I actually bring the books myself. "
