Comcast Demonstrates a Commitment to Literacy Among Children

March 2nd, 2010

Comcast Demonstrates a Commitment to Literacy Among Children
Fulfills Pledge of $150,000 to Books from Birth Foundation

NASHVILLE, TENN. (February 16, 2010) — Children all across Tennessee are thanking Comcast after the fulfillment of their $150,000 commitment over three years to the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation (GBBF), ensuring that books are in the hands of kids developing their vocabulary, school readiness, and love of learning and reading. GBBF, in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and local affiliates in each county, ensures that free, high quality, age-appropriate books are mailed once a month directly to registered children’s homes in Tennessee, from birth until age five.

The donation of $150,000 has the potential to fund more than 6,000 Tennessee children to receive one book per month for an entire year. The funds will primarily support the GBBF’s Distressed County Grant program – which covers up to the full cost of monthly Imagination Library book orders in Tennessee counties where funding for the program falls short.

This commitment by Comcast was in addition to other forms of support from the cable company. Comcast also contributed more than $1 million worth of publicity by airing Governor Phil Bredesen and Dolly Parton’s Public Service Announcement across their stations as an in-kind donation to the program.

“Comcast is a founding sponsor of GBBF and proud of our ongoing relationship with GBBF and the positive influence it has across Tennessee,” said Terri Weldon, director of government affairs and public relations for Comcast in Middle Tennessee. “Our partnership with GBBF is a perfect example of just how dynamic public-private partnerships can be and demonstrates how Comcast is committed to investing in the communities where we operate each and every day.”

Currently, 58 percent of all Tennessee children ages 0-5 are registered in the Imagination Library and are receiving free books in the mail. More than 155,000 Tennessee five-year-olds have already “graduated” from the program. The statewide program has helped deliver more than 9.4 million books to Tennessee children since the creation of the GBBF in 2004.

Created in 1996 by Dolly Parton as a gift to the children in her hometown of Sevierville, Tenn., the Imagination Library mails a new, age-appropriate, high-quality book every month to registered children, from birth until age five – at no cost to the family, regardless of income. Just $24 annually provides for the purchase and delivery of 12 books to one child. This cost is split evenly between a non-profit sponsoring organization in every Tennessee county, and a state budgetary allocation administered by the GBBF.

About Comcast Corporation:

Comcast Corporation (www.comcast.com) is the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services. With 24.1 million cable customers, 13.2 million high-speed Internet customers, and 4.6 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content. Comcast’s content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten regional Comcast SportsNets and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast’s Internet business. Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.

About the Comcast Foundation:

The Comcast Foundation was established by Comcast Corporation in 1999 to provide charitable support to 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact in the areas of volunteerism, literacy, and youth leadership development.  Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated more than $43 million to organizations in the communities that Comcast serves.  More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/neighborhood.

About the GBBF:

The Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation® was established in 2004 by Gov. Phil Bredesen and currently serves Imagination Library organizers in all 95 counties by providing fund-raising, public relations, and other support.

To learn how to support your county’s Imagination Library program, or for information on how to register a child, visit www.GovernorsFoundation.org or call toll-free, 1-877-99-BOOKS.

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Bredesen Promotes Imagination Library Week in Tennessee

September 17th, 2009

Gov. Bredesen marked the observance of Imagination Library Week 2009 with a visit to Bellwood Bowdoin Preschool in Murfreesboro, Tenn., where Rutherford Books from Birth celebrated the delivery of its 300,000th children's book since the countywide program's inception in February 2006.

Gov. Bredesen marked the observance of Imagination Library Week 2009 with a visit to Bellwood Bowdoin Preschool in Murfreesboro, Tenn., where Rutherford Books from Birth celebrated the delivery of its 300,000th children’s book since the countywide program’s inception in February 2006.

Statewide Program Celebrates 57 Percent Enrollment; Dollar General Stores Assist with Registration Events
NASHVILLE, TENN.– Governor Phil Bredesen is urging communities across the state to celebrate the benefits of books for young children during the fourth annual Imagination Library Week in Tennessee. Bredesen proclaimed Sept. 13-19 as Imagination Library Week, which is full of events aimed at boosting enrollment and community investment across the state.

“Now that almost 60 percent of all eligible children in Tennessee is registered in this important pre-kindergarten literacy program, I recognize there are still many more families with young children left to reach,” said Gov. Bredesen. ”Imagination Library Week is an opportunity to generate greater awareness for the program, and the importance of reading to children regularly as preparation for formal education. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of volunteers in all 95 counties, strong partners like public libraries, and the generosity of our donors, we are working toward instilling a love of books and reading –at the earliest possible age– in all Tennessee children.”

This year, Imagination Library Week is brought to you by the generous support of Dollar General Corp., a statewide sponsor of the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tenn., with a longstanding tradition of supporting literacy and education initiatives. Tennessee’s Dollar General locations will support countyImagination Libraries during the celebration week by: allowing volunteers to man informational tables at stores, encouraging customers with young children to enroll; and stocking enrollment brochures in key areas of visibility inside stores. Tennessee is home to over 400 Dollar General retail locations in all 95 counties.

From sign-up drives at public libraries and Dollar General stores, to fall fests, stroller-thons and golf outings, volunteers in nearly every Tennessee county have organized local activities for Imagination Library Week 2009.

Created in 1996 by Dolly Parton in her hometown of Sevierville, Tenn., the Imagination Library mails a new, age-appropriate, high-quality book every single month to registered children from birth until age five – at no cost to the family and regardless of income. A blue-ribbon committee of early childhood education experts selects the books for the Imagination Library, which includes such beloved classics as The Little Engine That Could®, The Snowy Day, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!

“We’ve all worked together to make something really special happen here in Tennessee,” said Dolly Parton. “It’s still the only state where every single child has an opportunity to participate in the Imagination Library. The people who help with this program are really the ones who should get the honor. There’s a lot of great people out there working, and the Governor and I just want to thank them for helping to make this all possible.”

The cost of delivering 12 hardback books to one child is $28 annually, split evenly between each county’s non-profit sponsoring organization and a state budgetary allocation administered by the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation®. Meaning, Imagination Library county sponsoring organizations must raise $14 per child, per year.

Any child in Tennessee under age five can be registered for the Imagination Library. Fifty-seven percent of the state’s total eligible population –more than 212,000 children– is currently registered in the program and received a free book in September. A core mission of the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation is to enroll any and all eligible children in the program. As public awareness for the Imagination Library continues to build, the Foundation assists dedicated volunteers with fundraising efforts to cover half the cost of monthly book orders.

To learn more about the Imagination Library program in your county, or for information on how to register a child, visit www.GovernorsFoundation.org or call toll-free, 1-877-99-BOOKS.

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Gov. Bredesen to Celebrate 4th Annual Imagination Library Week with Rutherford Co. Program

September 11th, 2009

Rutherford Co. Marks Delivery of Over 300,000 Books; Holds Public Event to Boost Registration, Fundraising

MURFREESBORO, TENN. – RutherfordCounty will celebrate the benefits of books for young children in a big way, as Gov. Phil Bredesen visits Murfreesboro during the fourth annual Imagination Library Week in Tennessee, kicking off a fun-filled statewide celebration of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Now in its fourth year, Imagination Library Week, Sept. 13-19, is packed with events aimed at bolstering enrollment and fund-raising in nearly all 95 counties.
“Now that almost 60 percent of all eligible children in Tennessee is registered in this important pre-kindergarten literacy program, I recognize there are still many more families with young children left to reach,” said Gov. Bredesen. ”Imagination Library Week is an opportunity to generate greater awareness for the program, and the importance of reading to children regularly as preparation for formal education. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of volunteers in all 95 counties, strong partners like public libraries, and the generosity of our donors, we are working toward instilling a love of books and reading –at the earliest possible age– in all Tennessee children.”

Rutherford Books from Birth will celebrate the delivery of more than 300,000 age-appropriate, hardback books to area preschool children since their countywide program’s inception in February 2006. During his visit, Gov. Bredesen will read his favorite Imagination Library books to a state funded Voluntary Pre-K for All classroom.
Created by Dolly Parton in her hometown of Sevierville, Tenn., the Imagination Library mails a new, age-appropriate, hardcover book every single month to registered children from birth to age five, at no cost to the family and regardless of income. A blue-ribbon committee of childhood education experts selects the books for the Imagination Library, which includes such classics as The Little Engine That Could, The Snowy Day, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!

Any child in Tennessee under age five can be registered for the Imagination Library. Fifty-seven percent of our state’s eligible population –over 212,000 children– is currently registered in the program and will receive a free book in September. In RutherfordCounty, currently 8,657 children are participating – approximately 63 percent of children under age five residing in the county. Administered by the independent 501(C)(3) non-profit organization known as Rutherford Books from Birth, Rutherford County currently holds the third highest Imagination Library enrollment percentage among Tennessee’s first and second tier urban county programs (Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Montgomery, Rutherford and Shelby).

Imagination Library Week 2009 is brought to you by the generous support of Dollar General Corp., a statewide sponsor of the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tenn., with a longstanding tradition of supporting literacy and education initiatives. Tennessee’s Dollar General locations will support countyImagination Libraries during the celebration week by: allowing volunteers to man informational tables at stores, encouraging customers with young children to enroll; and stocking enrollment brochures in key areas of visibility inside stores. Tennessee is home to more than 400 Dollar General retail locations in all 95 counties.
For more information on the Rutherford County Imagination Library, visit www.RutherfordBooks.org. To learn more about the statewide program or to register a child, visit www.GovernorsFoundation.org or call toll-free, 1-877-99-BOOKS.

WHO: Gov. Phil Bredesen, Murfreesboro Mayor Tommy Bragg; State Sen. Jim Tracy, State Sen. Bill Ketron, State Rep. Kent Coleman, State Rep. Joe Carr, Imagination Library donors, volunteers, parents, and young children!

WHAT: Imagination Library Week celebration and children’s story-time with the Governor

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 17th, 2009, 1:00 p.m.

Note that a ten-minute media availability with the Governor will take place just prior to the start of the Imagination Library Week program at 1:00 p.m. sharp.

WHERE: Library of Bellwood Bowdoin Preschool, 1165 Middle Tennessee Blvd., Murfreesboro, Tenn.

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Volunteer State Health Plan Invests in Early Childhood Literacy for Shelby County

June 29th, 2009

Volunteer State Health Plan

Photo caption: Gov. Phil Bredesen accepts a check for $900,000 from Volunteer State Health Plan on behalf of the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation. The company’s three-year sponsorship of Shelby County Books from Birth will cover the full five years of Imagination Library enrollment eligibility for every child born into VSHP’s Managed Care Organization in ShelbyCounty.

Pictured from left to right are: Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation President Jeff Conyers, Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton, Governor Phil Bredesen, Volunteer State Health Plan President & CEO Sonya Nelson, Shelby County Books from Birth Board Chairman Ed Stanton.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2009

VOLUNTEERSTATE HEALTH PLAN INVESTS IN EARLY
CHILDHOODLITERACYEFFORTSFORSHELBYCOUNTY
Managed Care Organization Commits to Multi-Year, Strategic Partnership with ShelbyCounty Books from Birth
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation (GBBF) today announced a three-year, $900,000 collaboration with Volunteer State Health Plan (VSHP) to support the Imagination Library program in ShelbyCounty, where 18 percent of Tennessee’s total population under age five resides.

Created in 1996 by Dolly Parton, the Imagination Library mails a new, age-appropriate, high-quality book to registered children, every month from birth until age five – at no cost to the family, regardless of income. In Tennessee, the cost of purchasing and delivering books – $28 per child, per year – is split evenly between a non-profit sponsoring organization in every county and state funds administered by the GBBF. VSHP’s contribution will be allocated entirely toward the local sponsoring organization’s share in ShelbyCounty.

“I have long believed that our investments in early childhood programs give children the best chance for success in school and beyond,” said Gov. Phil Bredesen. “Exposing children to reading at the earliest possible age can help eradicate the negative influence that low literacy has on the health status of Tennesseans. A monthly book delivered throughout the first five years of a child’s life will go a long way toward increasing reading proficiency –and thereby preventing poor health outcomes – in ShelbyCounty, where the state’s under-five population is most heavily concentrated.”

The collaboration between VSHP, Shelby Co. Books from Birth, and GBBF is exemplary of the public-private partnership structure that Gov. Bredesen envisioned for the statewide Imagination Library at its 2004 inception. The first of its kind among all Imagination Library affiliates in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom, this agreement goes above and beyond financial support to include a strategic action plan meant to considerably impact educational outcomes in greater Memphis.

Shelby Co. Books from Birth will work in lockstep with VSHP, making every effort to enroll in the Imagination Library each newborn covered by the VSHP TennCare MCO. VSHP’s $300,000 three-year annual pledge to Shelby Co. Books from Birth was approximated according to the number of Memphis-area children born each year who are insured by VSHP. A $70 contribution per newborn will cover the county’s half-share of the cost for a child’s Imagination Library enrollment for the full five years of program eligibility – representing a personal home library of up to 60 books prior to entering kindergarten.

“A primary goal of VSHP is to help our members and fellow Tennesseans become healthier,” said Sonya Nelson, president and CEO of VSHP. “We recognize that a population in good health starts with investments in early childhood programs, and this partnership with Shelby County Books from Birth affirms our belief that the Imagination Library will help to improve the health status of Memphians by enhancing and increasing their educational opportunities from birth.”

Health care professionals recurrently affirm that patients who struggle to read find it difficult to access and navigate America’s complex health delivery system. Low literacy also affects patient-physician communication dynamics, inadvertently leads to substandard medical care, and is associated with poor understanding of written or spoken medical advice. Essentially, illiteracy leads to adverse patient health outcomes, and negative effects on the health of our population.

“Our county faces a unique fund-raising challenge in offering this critically important program to our youngest citizens,” said AC Wharton, mayor of ShelbyCounty. ”Because the sheer size of our eligible population well exceeds that of any other participating Imagination Library community in Tennessee – and, thus far, even the nation – we realized that a creative partnership with a dedicated investor, whose mission was aligned with ours, was essential to the program’s long-term success. We could not be more grateful to Volunteer State Health Plan for their generosity; I assure you that Shelby Co. Books from Birth will work diligently to deliver up to 60 Imagination Library books to every newborn to whom VSHP has pledged financial support.”

Any child under age five living in Tennessee can be registered for the Imagination Library. According to 2000 U.S. Census results, 56 percent of the state’s total eligible population – almost 210,000 preschoolers – are registered. With over 131,000 Tennessee five-year-olds having already “graduated,” Tennessee’s Imagination Library has served over 342,000 children and delivered nearly eight million books since the GBBF was founded in 2004. Of the state’s 375,000 eligible children, more than 68,000 reside in ShelbyCounty alone. Currently, 46 percent of children under age five (31,401) in greater Memphis are enrolled, and will receive a free book delivery in their mailboxes this month.

Volunteer State Health Plan, Inc. is an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association and a licensed HMO affiliate of its parent company BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. VSHP focuses on managing care and providing quality health care products, services, and information for government programs. VSHP’s mission is to serve Tennesseans in its products and services, and through community outreach activities. VSHP was TennCare’s first managed care organization.

To learn how you can support the Imagination Library in your county, or for information on registering a child, visit www.GovernorsFoundation.org, or call toll-free, 1-877-99-BOOKS.

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Imagination Library Electronic Registration Now Available Statewide

April 9th, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2009

IMAGINATION LIBRARY ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION NOW AVAILABLE STATEWIDE
Nation’s First Statewide Expansion of Dolly’s Program Introduces Convenient Online Enrollment

NASHVILLE– Governor Phil Bredesen today announced that parents and caregivers in all 95 counties can now easily register children under age five for the Imagination Library online at www.GovernorsFoundation.org. The Governor made the announcement as he and First Lady Andrea Conte launched “Read to a Child Month” at the Nashville debut of a children’s play adapted from the Imagination Library’s most popular book, Llama Llama Red Pajama.

Originally created by Dolly Parton, the program mails a new, age-appropriate book every month to registered children from birth to age five — at no cost to the family, regardless of income. Providing onlineregistration allows the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation® to expedite the registration process, save the program thousands of dollars in printing costs and reduce its net environmental impact.
“With half of the state’s children under age five enrolled in Imagination Library, we have to get creative about how we reach and register the other half of our state’s eligible population,” said Bredesen. “Today’s parents of young children are computer-savvy and routinely access the Internet for a whole host of transactions. With every county participating in online registration, registering a child is now faster, easier, and more convenient.  I am hopeful that with these improvements, we will move even closer to instilling a love of books and reading—at the earliest possible age—in all Tennessee children.”
Since Tennessee’s statewide program kicked off in Oct. 2004, enrollment of under-five children has primarily been handled through a simple registration form inside a paper brochure, commonly available at public libraries. Parents and caregivers hand-write the child’s information on a tear-off sheet, and then mail it their county Imagination Library. Books addressed to the child begin arriving at the child’s home 7-9 weeks after the form is received.

The ease and accessibility of registering newborns and toddlers from a home computer could result in an influx of new registrations that might not have otherwise been captured. While the state’s urban counties were the first to begin offering online enrollment, the GBBF enlisted participation in e-registration from its grassroots partners in every Tennessee county until all 95 had activated the Web-based feature.
The governor announced statewide online registration at the Nashville premier of a children’s play adapted from the much-loved Imagination Library books authored by Anna Dewdney. The stage performance of Llama Llama Red Pajama (along with its sequel, Llama Llama Mad at Mama) was commissioned for Dolly’s Imagination Playhouse in Dollywood family amusement park (Pigeon Forge, Tenn.). Dolly Parton appears in a video as part of the Llama Llama Red Pajama performance, singing I’m Here, a children’s lullaby she wrote to accompany the play.

Anecdotal feedback – from parents of enrolled children and Imagination Library volunteers nationwide—suggests that Llama Llama Red Pajama is perhaps the most popular title out of the entire 60-book series. The Penguin Players are sponsored by Penguin Group (USA), publisher of all books in Dolly’s Imagination Library. A blue-ribbon committee of childhood education experts carefully selects the age-appropriate books for the program.

Fifty-five percent of Tennessee’s total eligible population—over 206,000 children under age five—is currently enrolled in the program and will receive a free book in April. The cost of purchasing and delivering books—$28 per child, per year—is split evenly between a non-profit sponsoring organization in every county and the GBBF. A core mission of the GBBF and its local partners is to enroll any and all eligible children in the program. As public awareness for the Imagination Library continues to build, the Foundation also assists a statewide network of dedicated volunteers with fund-raising efforts to cover half the cost of the books.

Tennessee Technological University’s BusinessMedia Center serves as the GBBF’s exclusive in-kind sponsor for www.GovernorsFoundation.org. Register a child online or by calling the Foundation toll-free at 1-877-99-BOOKS.

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Conyers to Serve as Governor’s Foundation President, Lead Statewide Imagination Library Efforts

January 9th, 2009
CONYERS TO SERVE AS GOVERNOR’S FOUNDATION PRESIDENT,
LEAD STATEWIDE IMAGINATION LIBRARY EFFORTS
NASHVILLE, TENN. – The board of directors for the non-profit Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation® has named Jeff Conyers to succeed Lady A. Bird as GBBF president. Effective Feb. 2, Conyers will lead efforts to strengthen and sustain Tennessee’s statewide Imagination Library – Dolly Parton’s successful early childhood reading initiative.
“I’m confident that Jeff Conyers will build on the remarkable progress in registration and fund-raising for the Imagination Library achieved by Lady Bird and her staff, putting Tennessee on the right track to achieve long-term stability for a program that provides tremendous educational advantages for young children,” said Governor Phil Bredesen, who established the foundation in 2004. “Jeff has the enthusiasm, drive, intellect and community contacts to ensure the program continues to thrive and will always be available to our state’s youngest citizens.”
Conyers will be charged with developing strategies for promoting and sustaining the statewide Imagination Library, providing children under age five with access to books to help them develop a relationship with books and reading as preparation for formal education. He will help to establish stable, ongoing support for the program in communities throughout the state, raise funds to support distressed counties, and oversee strategy for assisting Tennessee’s 92 sponsoring organizations, which serve all 95 counties, in the areas of fund-raising and enrollment.
“It is truly an honor to take on such an important role in support of the first – and, as yet, only – statewide Imagination Library,” said Conyers. “I’m well aware that I am joining a broad-based grassroots effort. This program is maintained almost entirely by generous volunteers and donors who give of their time and money because they believe so very strongly that promoting literacy and a love of books among our state’s young people will provide our future workforce with far greater opportunities for success.”
Created by Dolly Parton in 1996, the Imagination Library mails a new, age-appropriate, hardcover book to registered children, every month from birth until age five – at no cost to the family and regardless of income. Established by Bredesen in 2004, the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation serves Imagination Library grassroots organizers by providing fund-raising, public relations, and other support.
Conyers previously served Bredesen for five years coordinating travel and advance for the governor across the state. This experience allowed him to develop a broad and geographically-diverse network of contacts, including ties to key community leaders across Tennessee. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn.
Conyers replaces Lady A. Bird, the foundation’s president of five years, who is retiring at the end of January. Bird led the effort to take Dolly’s Imagination Library to all 95 Tennessee counties, effectively creating a free library of up to 60 books available to every child under age five, in just two short years. Also under Bird’s leadership, the foundation raised over $1.68 million in pledges and monies from corporate donors – preserving availability of the Imagination Library statewide by supporting 12 disadvantaged counties’ programs, and to cover the purchase of complete Imagination Library 60-book sets for every Voluntary Pre-K for All and Head Start classroom in the state (nearly 1,700 classrooms). Additionally, the GBBF has raised nearly $1.3 million for individual counties’ Imagination Library programs, toward their half of monthly book orders, since 2004.
From the implementation of the statewide expansion to the ongoing oversight of 92 sponsoring organizations’ progress on registration and fundraising, the GBBF has maintained Imagination Library program operations with the same number of staff and held the portion of its budget allocated to administrative overhead to 7.75 percent. The Center for Non-Profit Management affirms that a 7.75 percent administrative budget is excellent, based on the benchmark of 15 percent or below widely accepted among standards for best practices in the not-for-profit sector.
Any child under age five living in Tennessee can be registered for the Imagination Library. The cost of purchasing and delivering books – just $28 per child, per year – is split evenly between a non-profit sponsoring organization in every Tennessee county, and state funds administered by the GBBF.
Fifty-four percent of the state’s total eligible population – just over 204,000 children – is currently registered in the Imagination Library. With over 109,000 five-year-olds having already “graduated,” Tennessee’s statewide program has served more than 313,000 children and delivered over 6.5 million books since 2004.
To learn more about your county’s Imagination Library program, or for information how to register an eligible child, visit www.GovernorsFoundation.org, or call toll-free, 1-877-99-BOOKS.

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