Montgomery County residents participated in a literacy walk on Sept. 25 to help support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Montgomery County.

A total of 15 people walked at the Montgomery County High School walking trail as part of Give Like Dolly Day, a day in which everyone around the country was dedicated to supporting local Imagination Library programs and honoring Parton’s lifelong commitment to early childhood literacy.

The event was hosted by MU Extension of Montgomery County. Extension Engagement Specialist Elizabeth Anderson said the organization wanted to do something to celebrate Missouri Good Neighbor Week, which was scheduled to start on Sept. 28 and will end on Oct. 4.

“I think we knew we wanted to do a community walk anyway because of Missouri Good Neighbor Week,” Anderson said. “But when we found out that this Give Like Dolly Day was going to happen, we thought, ‘Perfect, that’s the theme. That’s what we’ll go with it.’ ”

During the walk, participants read excerpts of the story called “The Shy Little Cloud” by Meg Beehler. The excerpts were posted on 19 signs along the walk.
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library began in 1995 by the famous singer/actress who passed away on Aug. 25. The Montgomery County chapter of the Imagination Library started in 2002 and helped many county children develop a love of reading. Each child receives a free book every month from birth to age 5.

“I know the Imagination Library chapter locally is really important to a lot of folks,” Anderson said. “So we wanted to start working on kickstarting the effort to reestablish that here in Montgomery County. We thought it would be fun to do a little walk, get some fresh air and read a storybook as we go.”

Missouri Good Neighbor Week was created four years ago by MU extension specialist David Burton as a celebration to encourage Missourians to perform acts of kindness to neighbors. Anderson said MU Extension did different projects on Good Neighbor Week throughout the years.

“I think last year, we went up to Wellsville and helped with food distribution up there on their Food Distribution Day,” Anderson said. “I think the year before, it was at Reach Church at their food pantry. We’re always looking for ways to serve folks and be a good neighbor and help try to share that message because sometimes people don’t know the people who live next door to them. So we want to keep sharing that concept.”