MISSOULA — Governor Greg Gianforte was in Missoula on Tuesday for the second day of his annual '12 Days of Giving' donating $20,000 to United Way.
Through the Imagination Library — which was started in 1995 by music icon Dolly Parton — United Way donates free books to over three thousand Missoula and Mineral County young children each month.
The goal is to make sure kids 0-5 have adequate access to age-appropriate reading material. Plus, parents can bond with their kids through spending time reading.
Donating a quarter of his yearly salary, Gianforte is supporting the non-profit and his wife's passion for early education.
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"When I learned about what Dolly Parton was doing with Imagination Library and providing a free book every month delivered to the child's home, I was sold on it. I wanted to have it statewide available to every child in Montana," Montana First Lady of Susan Gianforte told MTN.
"Fundraising has been a struggle for so many of us. And to receive such a generous donation was just incredibly moving. And every study shows that kids enrolled in Imagination Library, enter kindergarten ready to learn," United Way of Missoula CEO Susan Hay Patrick added.
Founded in 1931, the nonprofit partners with local businesses, philanthropies, and nonprofits as well as with faith-based, educational, and other community organizations to promote early childhood literacy, mental health programs, and stable housing for Montanans in need.
As one of 1,800 community-based affiliates of United Way worldwide, the Missoula nonprofit raises approximately $1 million annually to invest back in the surrounding communities, a news release from Gov. Ginaforte notes.
There's still time to contribute to your favorite non-profit this holiday season of giving.
