Mercer County Better Together

08/03/2026

🎉Congratulations to our top fundraisers who contributed to our $10,275 total!

🏆The Edwards River Public Library team raised a total of $2,500!

🏆And our overall top individual fundraiser, Parker Simpson, raised $975!

What incredible fundraising from every one of our libraries and participants. Our top fundraisers will receive a certificate and engraved golden bookmark to commemorate their efforts.

🫶Thank you again to all who donated, shared, participated, and cheered us on 🎉

Fundraiser to benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Mercer County

07/28/2026

🙏Sometimes a simple "thank you" doesn't feel like enough. Today is one of those days.

Yesterday, our inaugural "Reading Is A Gift" summer readathon came to an end. While we still have a few per-page pledges trickling in this week, we raised $3,225 - all thanks to the incredible support of our community. We call that a success!

💸But then, an exceptionally generous donor stepped forward to give $6,775, helping us reach our $10,000 GOAL! 😱

🫂Because of everyone who took part in this readathon in any way, every Mercer County child enrolled in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library will continue receiving a free book every month.

So thank you, Mercer County. Thank you to our readers, donors, champions, and cheerleaders. You helped us finish this story beautifully.

👉www.givebutter.com/readingisagift

07/27/2026

🌞 Good morning!
We had an eventful weekend, bringing our readathon total to $2,705!

It also looks like we got our days confused 🤦🏼‍♀️ The last day of the "Reading Is A Gift" readathon is TODAY! 😱

📚 Readers, you'll finish up your reading today and at the end of the day, tally the total pages you read and take that number to those who have given you a per-page-pledge. Then, invite them to finish their donation at the link to your GiveButter page or collect them in person and drop them off to one of our participating libraries.

We will spend the rest of the week collecting those pledges and making a final tally to then share with you by the weekend!

🫶🏽 No matter where we finish, our first county-wide readathon has already proven that when our community comes together around a common goal, we're able to make life a little bit better for others who call Mercer County home.

💸 We are still accepting donations to support Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in MerCo all day today!

Make a difference here
👉🏾 www.givebutter.com/readingisagift

07/25/2026

‼️ Tomorrow is the last day of the "Reading Is A Gift" readathon! Our readers are getting in the last of their reading, and we are cheering them on!

📚 Remember, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a free program available to ALL Mercer County children ages 0-5. This is not an Aledo-specific program.

🫶🏽 You can help us keep the Imagination Library going in Mercer County by donating at the link below or by making a pledge to one of our readers. And sharing posts like this one helps spread the word far and wide!

💪🏼 Let's make this weekend count! 🥳

Fundraiser to benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Mercer County

07/24/2026

❓ Did you know that ALL Mercer County kids, ages 0-5, can enroll in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library? That's right! It's available county-wide!

And that is exactly why the "Reading Is A Gift" readathon is taking place with libraries across the county.

🩵 Edwards River Public Library is still leading with $1,230 raised so far.
💛 New Windsor Public Library is in second place with $575.
❤️ Viola Public Library District is picking up speed with $250 raised so far.

AND, we've officially broken the $2,000 mark!

We end today with $2,155 raised by our generous community. We have three days left and can't wait to see what happens over the weekend.

Readers, let's read read read! There's still time to seek out pledges and for donors to make flat donations. YOU can still make a difference.

👉🏽 www.givebutter.com/readingisagift

Want to enroll a child in the Imagination Library?
It's easy. Simply make sure that the child is between 0-5 years of age and lives in Mercer County. Parents, grandparents, and caregivers are encouraged to enroll eligible area children.

👉🏽 https://www.mcbettertogether.org/dpil

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07/23/2026

❤️ As we head into the second half of the final week of our "Reading Is A Gift" Readathon, we want to pause and simply say...thank you.

🤝To our library partners: Edwards River Public Library, New Windsor Public Library, and Viola Public Library District, thank you for embracing this first-ever county-wide readathon. Libraries do so much more than lend books; they strengthen our communities every day, and this fundraiser wouldn't be possible without your enthusiasm and support.

🫶 To our participants, you're the heart of this campaign. You've spent the last two weeks reading, sharing your fundraising pages, asking friends and family for pledges, and helping spread the word. You believed in this mission enough to invest your own time and energy, and that means more than we can say.

🤗 And to everyone who has donated, sponsored a reader, or shared one of our posts, thank you for believing in the power of books. Every share introduces this campaign to someone new. Every dollar helps ensure Mercer County children continue receiving a free book in their mailbox each month through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

📚 The Readathon wraps up July 27, and thanks to your generosity, we've raised $1,855 so far!

There's still time to help us cross the finish line. Read, donate, sponsor a participant, or simply share this post. We're incredibly proud of what our community has accomplished together, and we're excited to see what these final few days will bring.

👉

Fundraiser to benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Mercer County

07/21/2026

🥹 One of the unexpected gifts of the "Reading Is A Gift" readathon has been the heartfelt messages left by so many of you when making a donation.

We couldn't keep these to ourselves.

❤️ Tarah shared words of encouragement to our readers, "Keep reading, teams!"
💙 Mindy M. gave us a good reminder, "Enjoy reading your books tonight and every night. Precious time with your littles that I took way too for granted."
💛 Debbie said, "Such a great program that our kids were once recipients of."
🩵 And Laura enthused, "We love Imagination Library and are so grateful to have it available in our community!"

Thank you for believing in this program, in our local children, and in the power of reading. Your kindness reminds us why this work matters.

There's still time to make a difference! Whether you sign up as a reader, sponsor a participant, or make a flat donation, every gift helps ensure Mercer County children continue receiving free books through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

www.givebutter.com/readingisagift

❤️ Every page counts.
📚 Every child benefits.

07/20/2026

🌞 Good morning! We hope your weekend was full of good books and time with loved ones.

Did you know that having books at home is just as important as having access to books at school and libraries?

📚 A home library does something borrowing can’t. It embeds reading into a child's everyday life. When books are always within arm's reach, with no due dates, no fines, and the pride of true ownership, reading stops feeling like a school assignment and naturally becomes a lifelong habit.

That's why programs like Dolly Parton's Imagination Library are so important. They lay that life-changing foundation.

🚨 It's the final week of the 2026 county-wide "Reading Is A Gift" readathon, and we've raised $1,580 of our $10,000 goal. You can help us close that distance by donating at the link below, by making a per-page-pledge to one of our readers, and of course by helping us spread the word.

💸 Every dollar brings us closer to another year of placing permanent books into the hands of children enrolled in the Imagination Library. Let’s finish this final week strong. Click the link below to make your impact today!

👉🏽

Fundraiser to benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Mercer County

07/18/2026

🔔Here are the stats as we head into the weekend and the end of our first week of the "Reading Is A Gift" readathon!

So far, we've raised $1,430 overall🎉

🤝Next, a little friendly competition and a whole lot of community spirit. Here's how our participating library teams stack up so far!

Edwards River Public Library - $980
New Windsor Public Library - $375
Viola Public Library District - $50

Remember, the top fundraising library and the top fundraising individual overall will receive a golden bookmark along with a certificate at the end of the fundraiser!

🏆 The leaderboard can change quickly, so let's make this weekend count! Every page, every pledge, and every donation brings us one step closer to sponsoring 400 Mercer County children for another year of free books 📚💙

www.givebutter.com/readingisagift

07/17/2026

🫶At just over $1,200 raised, we're heading into the weekend feeling pretty hopeful! We are nearly one week into the Readathon, and something pretty incredible (beyond fundraising) is happening.

Families are reading together, children are tracking pages, friends are sponsoring diligent readers. Our community is coming together around the shared goal of making sure more than 400 Mercer County children continue receiving books in their mailboxes every month.

We're not there yet, but we believe we'll get there together.

If you've been thinking about signing up, sponsoring a reader, or making a donation, there's still plenty of time.

📚 Because reading is a gift worth sharing.

www.givebutter.com/readingisagift