Palmetto Project Program Spotlight

BEGIN WITH BOOKS 

Charleston County affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

WHAT AN IMPACT our Charleston County Affiliate is making. Thank you to all of our sponsors and volunteers!

TOTAL Charleston County CHILDREN REGISTERED: 5,134

TOTAL Charleston County CHILDREN GRADUATED at AGE 5: 10,078

More than 10,000 Charleston County children have graduated from the Imagination Library and headed to kindergarten with reading experiences boosting their school readiness. Average tenure is 2.5 years, so these children have received, on average, 30 high-quality books by mail from the Imagination Library during their participation.

We’ve got more than 5,000 more children in the cradle-to-school pipeline now, so our impact will grow and grow.  To learn more or make a donation, please visit our website.

May be an image of text that says 'New Enrollments Past 12 Months 2,096 298 198 more children enrolled in September! 269 191 178 189 144 153 198 158 129 130 110 93'
In Memory

We offer our sincere condolences to the family of Charles Way, Jr. on the loss of their beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.  During his lifetime, Charlie Way was one of the most influential business leaders, public servants, and philanthropists in our state.  In many ways, his vision laid the foundation for modern South Carolina and its booming economy.

Additionally, BEGIN WITH BOOKS would not be what it is today without the very generous support of Mary Ellen & Charlie Way and their family.   The Way Family knows that early literacy is a foundation of successful and prosperous communities and Mary Ellen was the catalyst for our expansion into the Peninsula.  Every year since, Mary Ellen and Charlie and other family members have continued to make significant donations to BEGIN WITH BOOKS as a way to honor future generations of their family and impact the educational outlook of thousands of children in Charleston County.  
 

You’ll see on the November 2022 book labels that the books were sponsored by MAMA and CHAWAY, as they are known to their great-grandchildren.

Charleston County’s November books are mailed in honor of:  John Robert Strickler, Crawford Ann Freeman, Charles Locke Freeman, Charlotte Way Strickler, Amelia Elizabeth Strickler, Albert Mills Freeman, Edward Long Freeman, Aldous Oswald McDonald, Colt Townsend Moore, Anne Bett Howle, Caroline Carter Howle, Ryan Sottile Wonderlic, Alberta Freeman Strickler and James Hayes Freeman.