PRESS RELEASE: Elks Lodge makes generous donation to United Way of Steele County, Women United

Date: April 5, 2023
From: United Way of Steele County
RE: Elks Lodge makes generous donation to United Way of Steele County, Women United - Power of the Purse - to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

The Owatonna Elks Lodge #1395 presented United Way of Steele County a check in the amount of $1,000 in recognition of our annual Power of the Purse event - to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Steele County.  These funds are a grant from the Elks National Foundation which gives over $350 million to youth and youth-based programming.

This year’s Power of the Purse will be held on June 13, 2023, at the Owatonna Country Club. The funds raised from this annual event go to support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Steele County.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a program that mails an age-appropriate book each month to the home of every enrolled child in Steele County from birth to age five.  The project was launched in August of 2014 by United Way of Steele County, Women United in partnership with the Dolly Parton Foundation, Owatonna Rotary Club, Owatonna Early Edition Rotary Club, Owatonna Public Library Foundation and the gifts of many community members and businesses. The Dolly Parton Foundation pays for the cost of all the books, and the local partners raise the $30 per child per year that it costs to ship the books to the child’s home each month.

This program is popular with Steele County families.  Over 1000 preschool children in Steele County are currently enrolled into the program and receive a free book in the mail every month. Over 2000 children in Steele County have already turned 5 and graduated from the program. “We are so grateful for this generous donation from the Elks. It will provide books to many kids in Steele County,” said UWSC Women United member Bonnie Krueger. UWSC Operations Coordinator, Neil Lyons, added “United Way is committed to removing barriers to academic success. We are grateful for all our community partners for helping us make this opportunity possible for Steele County children.”

The mission of the United Way is to change lives by mobilizing and optimizing the caring power of our community. For more information, visit unitedwaysteelecounty.org or follow us on social media @uwsteelecounty