United Way of Northwest Louisiana (UWNWLA) has been awarded a $25,000 grant from American Express Leadership Academy to support its education program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
In 2023, UWNWLA President & CEO Latoria “Tori” W. Thomas was selected for the American Express Leadership Academy with 77 other successful non-profit leaders from across the Americas. That year, Common Purpose, in partnership with American Express, relaunched this program with a new curriculum to help non-profit leaders accelerate their development and build new skills to meet the unique challenges that the world is facing today. Tori’s participation in the program allowed her and UWNWLA eligibility to apply for the American Express Leadership Academy Alumni Awards, resulting in the grant to support the Imagination Library.
According to the Louisiana Department of Education, nearly 60 percent of children in Northwest Louisiana enter kindergarten without the tools needed to be successful in school and later in life. As the largest provider in the state, UWNWLA enables the Imagination Library to send books to children from birth to age five at no cost to families. Not only will the funds from American Express support the children in this program, but it will also support the children with special needs.
Every year, UWNWLA relaunches the United Way Book Club in time for the holidays to gain support for the Imagination Library. This year, the organization is honing its focus on children with special needs to ensure more children have access to the essential tools needed to reach their fullest potential. Funds to support the program will send books to children’s homes, including braille and audiobooks, helping children who are blind or visually impaired. In addition, donations will help provide books to pre-k classrooms, like The Community School at Holy Angels, which helps children with developmental disabilities.
The Imagination Library provides access to books for children in families identified as ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). ALICE represents the growing number of individuals and families who work hard but are still unable to afford their essential needs. According to ALICE in Focus: People with Disabilities, in 2019, 82 percent of children with disabilities in Louisiana under age five lived in ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) or poverty households. Programs like the Imagination Library are essential to helping children with special needs, as parents often must prioritize medical expenses over the luxury of books.
“We are so thankful to receive this grant from American Express,” said UWNWLA President & CEO LaToria “Tori” W. Thomas. “It’s our goal to raise $60,000 before the end of the year for this program, and this grant has not only given us a great head start but also for children with special needs who need more tools to be prepared for kindergarten.”
UWNWLA is grateful for the partnership with American Express and how it continues to help the organization evolve through its nonprofit resources for employees, as UWNWLA Director of Community Impact Raavin Evans was selected for the 2024 American Express Leadership Academy.
To learn more about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the United Way Book Club, please visit https://unitedwaynwla.org/united-way-book-club/.