Palmetto Project

Putting Quality Books into the Homes and Hands of Children

Palmetto Project identifies innovative strategies to address the social and economic challenges facing our state and brings those ideas to life in communities like the Midlands. We are getting BOOKS into the hands of children who need them. As the Midlands affiliate for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, we work to inspire a love of reading and build strong early literacy skills by ensuring young children have access to quality books from the very beginning - when it's most critical.

Palmetto Project understands how powerfully early literacy shapes a child’s future, and we are committed to nurturing a love of reading by placing books directly into the homes of families who might otherwise go without.

The Imagination Library is one of the most widely researched early literacy programs in the country, and the results are clear. Children who grow up with books at home experience meaningful gains in language development, school readiness, attention span, and long-term academic success. A landmark two-decade study found that simply having a home library can strengthen vocabulary, improve academic performance, and even influence future job opportunities.

Thank you for being part of this work and for helping us make a real difference for families and children in the Midlands.

Goal

Our Midlands Gives mission is to unlock our matching funds and raise a total of $65,000 to send monthly Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library books to 3,000 children across Lexington, Kershaw, Orangeburg, and Newberry counties through the end of 2026. 

Thank you for helping us meet our goal.

Dolly's Inspiration, and a Note from Mom

"Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. I can't tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. He was the smartest man I have ever known, but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams." - Dolly Parton

"When I tell you our family loved this special program! We adored receiving the books each month from Dolly and the Imagination Library team! It was something to look forward to each month as my son grew! He cherished the books and the fact that they came from Dolly..." - Cara (Mom)