Children younger than 5 can receive a free, high-quality book every month from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. But along with the Dollywood Foundation, who else covers the cost of these books, and does the program really work?

Hilly Alexander, a member of the Rotary Club of Wilsonville, will discuss the program’s growth, which has resulted in over 247 million books being gifted worldwide. Hilly will also share how the program, managed locally by the Wilsonville Public Library Foundation and supported by the Wilsonville Rotary Foundation, has positively impacted the community and fostered a love of reading among children.

Official bio:

Hilly Alexander has enjoyed a long career in software development and information technology, including tech support, computer programming, testing, software quality assurance, and project management. While still working full time, Hilly began volunteering at the Wilsonville Public Library, which eventually turned into a second career. Some highlights of that second career include serving two terms on the Wilsonville Public Library Board and leading the campaign for the Clackamas County Library District in Wilsonville in 2008. Hilly currently serves on the Wilsonville Public Library Foundation Board of Directors and is the Executive Director of the Wilsonville Imagination Library, a local partner of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which she considers her best job ever. She still loves putting books back on the shelf and collecting items that library patrons have put on hold.