Washington County, OH — A local group has pledged their support of the Match the Imagination campaign, and this one is no stranger to the cause.
The Marietta Friends of the Washington County Public Library have contributed $10,000 to the Washington County Imagination Library fund, bringing the Match the Imagination campaign to $23,808 raised — exceeding the campaign’s initial $20,000 goal.
This is not the first time that they have supported the fund. The group partnered with Marietta Community Foundation by giving $10,000 toward a matching campaign in 2019.
“Voting to donate again to the Imagination Library Fund was an easy decision for [our] board,” said Sarah Stephens, President of the Marietta Friends of the Library. “We always welcome requests for funds that encourage the love of reading in children.”
Sarah Stephens, President of the Marietta Friends of the Library, and Heather Allender, President & CEO of Marietta Community Foundation, with a Dolly Parton Imagination Library book.
Heather Allender, President & CEO of Marietta Community Foundation, shared her excitement about exceeding the campaign goal and is now encouraging the community to keep the momentum going.
“Initially, our hope was to increase program registrations and be able to cover the influx of enrollment costs without scrambling to secure funding,” she said. “We felt that $20,000 was adequate to eliminate the waitlist for a little while, but knew that more fundraising would be needed down the road. The community has really stepped up, and the Foundation is proud to announce that we will be capitalizing on this momentum by increasing our match to up to $30,000.”
The Foundation’s increased match brings the running total to $47,616 toward the Washington County Imagination Library fund.
Donations will continue to be matched 1:1 until $30,000 has been raised. Gifts can be made online at https://mcfohio.betterworld.org/campaigns/matchtheimagination. Donations via checks are also welcomed. Checks can be sent to Marietta Community Foundation, 100 Putnam Street Marietta, OH 45750, and should include Match the Imagination in the memo.
Children who reside in Washington County can be enrolled in the program through the Ohio Governors Imagination Library website, https://ohioimaginationlibrary.org, or by filling out a form at the Foundation’s office.