Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Brings Free Books to Bay County Kids

BAY COUNTY, FL - Families in Bay County, Florida, have a new reason to celebrate: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that delivers free books to children from birth to age five, is now available in the area. This initiative provides children with age-appropriate, high-quality books each month, fostering a lifelong love of reading and learning.

The program's expansion to Bay County is all thanks to the Addie & Baylor Kirchgessner Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring the lives of Addie and Baylor Kirchgessner, two siblings who tragically lost their lives in December 2020 when a driver struck them at a mini-golf course in Panama City Beach, Florida. This heartbreaking incident impacted the local community and led their parents to create a foundation in their memory.

Through the foundation, Addie and Baylor’s love for books and learning continues to flourish. By sponsoring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Bay County, the foundation is helping ensure every child in the community has access to books, opening doors to creativity, imagination, and academic success. The family believes that "equitable and early exposure to literacy can help reduce the achievement gap before entering school."

Parents and caregivers can register their children to receive free books by visiting this link: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library—Bay County Registration.

Through the Addie & Baylor Kirchgessner Foundation and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Bay County is giving its youngest residents the gift of literacy and a brighter future.