This is a story of student leadership development that results in tangible community impact. Through staying the course and engaging others, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library is now sending free books to children in the Manhattan area.
The story begins with a group of honors leadership students in 2015. In an introductory course taught by Marcia Hornung, students selected childhood literacy as the issue that they wanted to impact in the local community. They identified a gap in service from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library; there was no opportunity for kids in the community to sign up for the program. Children enrolled in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library receive a free book each month by mail. Communities raise money to pay for their own books ($2.00 per book) and the national program covers overhead, shipping, logistics, and all other necessities to get the books out.
Students in the course formed the group “Little Apple Need to Read” and became the partner organization for Manhattan. They undertook all sorts of fundraising and grant-writing efforts to raise money for the program and made presentations across the community to spread the word. They continued to move the effort forward long after the class was over. For the next five years, they persisted in the endeavor and eventually graduated and moved away from the community. Subsequent students in the same course continued to impact the program after the original class moved on.
Then, students in the Nonprofit Leadership program at the Staley School of Leadership Studies continued raising funds and spreading the word to move the project forward. These efforts aligned closely with the fundraising, grant-writing, and partnership-building taught in their nonprofit leadership courses, so they were putting their academic experience into practice in the community. Each group of leadership students moved the project forward, continuing to raise money and promote the program, little by little. And then the breakthrough happened: They found a critical organizational partner, the local Konza United Way.
The Konza United Way believes that everyone deserves opportunities to have a good life. Led by Tara Claussen, executive director, they took on the charge of becoming the partnering organization and got things off the ground. Through their generous donors, and the efforts of Governor Laura Kelly and Representative Troy Waymaster to take the program statewide, the Imagination Library will now become a reality in our community and the entire Konza United Way service area.
“Thanks to the tireless work of many community members, the generous contributions of donors, and public policy initiative, kids in Manhattan and the surrounding area will have a book in their mailboxes December 2021.”
This story demonstrates many leadership lessons. Leadership is collaborative. It often requires diverse stakeholders to come together in common cause; and it doesn’t happen overnight. At the Staley School of Leadership Studies, we engage students in finding purpose in their efforts. They don’t just learn in the classroom; they connect to the community. And little by little, we progress together, alongside phenomenal community partners, to create real impact—in this case, for Kansas kids.
If you have kids in your life ages 0-5 years, consider signing them up for the program. Also, as you are able, consider supporting this fantastic program through a donation.
Special thanks to the 2015 class of honors leadership students, Marcia Hornung, former nonprofit leadership instructor at the Staley School of Leadership Studies, the Manhattan Rotary Club for continued support, and the Konza United Way.
