North Coast Rotary President Cathy Pugh presented Jamie Simoneau of Community Foundation of Lorain County with a $500 donation to the Lorain County Imagination Library. Rotary club members also contributed to the campaign. At a February meeting, Jamie explained that when enrolled at birth, each child is going to receive 60 books, an age-appropriate book each month. Lorain County Imagination Library (approximately ten years old now) is a program that Community Foundation of Lorain County is the fiscal sponsor for. The Community Foundation helps to raise funds for it, to enroll children in it, and to spread the word about it. There are currently 2,023 children in Avon, Avon Lake, Sheffield Lake and Sheffield Village communities that are registered in this wonderful program.

Jamie also explained the impact. Survey results show that children who receive books through the Imagination Library program have a higher Kindergarten Readiness Assessment score. Further, that the higher that score, there’s a positive correlation with a child being able to read in third grade. And the success continues through high school graduation!