June Harless Center at Marshall University

10/09/2026

From the Field Friday: When Art, Literacy, and Community Come Together

What started as a beautiful idea between Blenko Glass Company and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of West Virginia has grown into something extraordinary: more than 6,000 handmade suncatchers sold, resulting in an amazing $85,259.89 donation to support early literacy across our state! 💛📚✨

This is not only the largest Glass for Good donation to date, but also the largest donation ever received by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of West Virginia.

Every handcrafted sun-catcher represents more than beautiful glasswork. It represents books in children's homes, family reading routines, and brighter futures for West Virginia's youngest learners.

🌟 And there's still time! This special collaboration has been extended for one final week as we work toward an incredible goal of $100,000 for West Virginia's little dreamers.

Thank you to Blenko, their talented glassworkers, and every person who purchased a suncatcher in support of early literacy. Together, we're proving that a little bit of magic can make a BIG impact.

🔗 Get yours: https://blenko.com/collections/new-releases

10/08/2026

What a privilege to help sponsor such a meaningful event celebrating true champions of children in our region. Thank you to EveryChild NOW for highlighting the important work of these individuals and for inspiring others to play a part in uplifting quality of life for West Virginia children. It was a memorable, inspirational afternoon!

10/08/2026

📣 Attention High School Educators!

Looking for an engaging opportunity for your students to explore careers in technology and cybersecurity?

💻 Cyber Experience Day
📅 October 15
⏰ 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM
📍 Marshall University Student Center

Designed for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students, this interactive experience will allow students to participate in hands-on demonstrations led by Marshall University students in:

🔐 Cybersecurity
💻 Computer Science
🕵️ Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)

Students will also:
✅ Learn about career pathways in cyber and technology
✅ Discover opportunities for continued learning after graduation
✅ Receive a campus tour from Marshall Recruitment
✅ Seniors can apply to Marshall University for free

Don't miss this exciting opportunity to introduce students to one of today's fastest-growing career fields!

👉 Register and learn more:

Date: October 15, 2026 Time: 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Location: Marshall University Memorial Student Center 1 John Marshall Dr. Huntington, WV 25703

10/08/2026

🎃🏆 Pumpkin Drop Champions! 🏆🎃

We are thrilled to recognize this year's winners:

🥇 1st Place: The Cloudy Angels from Ironton
🎉 The only pumpkin that survived the drop!

🥈 2nd Place: The Iconic Stars from Martha Elementary

🥉 3rd Place: The Battle Warriors from Ironton

Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to everyone who helped make this year's Pumpkin Drop a success!

10/05/2026

🍂🎃 Mission in Action Monday 🎃🍂
This week, we’re highlighting one of our favorite fall traditions, the Annual Pumpkin Drop at the WV Makes Festival on Marshall University’s campus!

The Pumpkin Drop brings together creativity, problem-solving, engineering, and community engagement as participants design and test ways to protect their pumpkins from a dramatic drop. It’s a fun, hands-on experience that sparks curiosity and encourages innovation for learners of all ages.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Pumpkin Drop a success. Together, we are inspiring the next generation of thinkers, creators, and problem-solvers!

10/02/2026

From the Field Friday: Teamwork in Action at Explorer Academy

This week, the Pre-K classroom at Explorer Academy put one of the 7 Habits of Happy Kids into practice: Teamwork! 🤝

Using a variety of materials including cones, stepping stones, rings, and other loose parts, children worked together to design and build their very own obstacle courses. Along the way, they shared ideas, solved problems, took turns, and collaborated to create a course that everyone could enjoy.

✨ Through play, children practiced communication, cooperation, and creativity while learning that they can accomplish more when they work together.

10/01/2026

A great volunteer opportunity coming up October 20th for Read Across the River Cities!

Registration is officially open for our fifth annual Read Across the River Cities!!

Join us on Tuesday, October 20 to bring the literary classic Charlotte's Web to a new generation of readers! Big thanks to all our sponsors for ensuring each third-grader get's their very own copy of the book.

Visit unitedwevolunteer.org to pick your school and sign up!

Sponsors:

Appalachian Power
Ohio Power
Arthur & Joan Weisberg Family Foundation
Bullseye Total Media
Bloss & Dillard, Inc.
Desco Federal Credit Union
Ohio University-Southern
Marshall University Libraries

09/28/2026

📣 𝗗𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁 𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱! 𝟭𝟬𝗔𝗠 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀. 𝟵/𝟮𝟵❗️
We’re proud to partner with Glenn's Sporting Goods on special Dolly-themed t-shirts and sweatshirts benefiting Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of West Virginia. Every purchase helps support the mission of putting high-quality books into the hands of children and fostering a lifelong love of reading.

What’s your favorite selection?

👚Wear your support
📚 Promote early literacy
💕 Honor Dolly’s incredible legacy

✨ Order your shirt today!
https://glennssportinggoods.chipply.com/store.html?eid=625066&action=viewall

09/25/2026

Come see us downtown Huntington for Dolly music, book giveaways, Dolly trivia, prizes and more! T-shirts are also on sale! All proceeds go to books for kids.🩷📚🦋

09/25/2026

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝟵-𝟮𝟱! 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝘆 supporting Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of West Virginia — an impactful early literacy literacy program for which we are proud to be the statewide partner with the Dollywood Foundation

🦋📚𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆✨

Dolly Parton believed in giving back and helping children dream bigger. This year, we're celebrating that spirit right here in our community with fundraisers and events on 9-25!

We're inviting our community to join us in giving back to children through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of West Virginia. Your support helps make it possible for children in our community to receive a free, high-quality book every month from birth until age 5.

To donate, visit:
https://give.marshall.edu/project/26398/donate?des_id=225837

👉Learn more on how you can support local children at www.DollyBooksWV.com