The Ten Squared Women of Guthrie County recently awarded their second quarter donation to the Guthrie County Health Services for a literacy initiative. 

Health Services Director Jotham Arber says they were presented with $11,000 to go towards their new non-profit 501(c)3 called Our Communities Health Foundation which helps to create opportunities like the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Guthrie County. He says through the imagination library children that are ages zero through five will receive one age appropriate book a month. 

“It’s just a really good program that allows parents to do that one thing that you can all do with your children to increase literacy which is to read with them and having those books at your door makes it a lot easier.”

Arber states that having children read early in life sets them up for success. He explains what this large donation will do for the library. 

“Having this additional $10,000, $11,000 means that we can expand this program not just to the Panora area, but into Guthrie and down into Adair and Casey and Stuart. It’s going to help us really expand the amount of books that are available and the number of children that are eligible. And so just it’s been a fantastic thing and we’re very appreciative of them considering child literacy as an important thing for Guthrie County.”

Those interested can register at the Guthrie County Services Office or online and for those that want to donate can make a check out for the Our Communities Foundation and drop that off at the office as well.