United Way celebrates 1M books to local children through free program

Through United Way of Summit & Medina’s Imagination Library, enrolled children up to age 5 receive free books and in March the local program celebrated its success, announcing it has mailed more than 1 million books.

All children 5 and under in Summit and Medina counties are eligible. Each month a brand-new, age-appropriate book is mailed to every enrolled child. With the arrival of the first book, the classic “The Little Engine That Could,” children begin experiencing the joy of finding their own book in their mailboxes.

These moments continue each month until the child turns 5 or moves out of Summit or Medina county. In their last eligible month in the program, the book they receive is “Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!”

The program is funded by a partnership between United Way of Summit & Medina, the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library, and local donors. A gift of only $30 allows children like Niko and Lanie to receive one book per month for a year, a value of more than $120.