READGH
I CAN'T READ LIKE MY FRIENDS CAN, THE WORDS DON'T MAKE SENSE. THAT MAKES MATH EVEN HARDER. I KNOW I'M NOT STUPID, BUT SOME PEOPLE THINK I AM.
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-Local Student
The foundation for reading starts long before fourth grade.
69.5% met the kindergarten literacy benchmark
Only 37.8% of children
met the language arts standard.
That's why READGH starts early.​
2025–26 Washington school data; calculated from Grays Harbor districts with published counts. Some district results are withheld.
Reading is more than a skill.
It is a doorway.
Reading struggles can affect every part of a child’s education. ReadGH works at the beginning, helping families put books and shared reading into a child’s life from birth through age five.
When children have books at home and caring adults who read with them, they gain more than vocabulary. They gain confidence, curiosity, connection, and a stronger foundation for every subject that follows.
DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY
​
A new book.
Every month.
A stronger start.
Children from birth through age five in Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties can receive a free, age-appropriate book mailed directly to their home every month.
Each book helps a child build a home library, discover the joy of reading, and develop a stronger foundation for school. Through ReadGH, United Way of Grays Harbor serves as the local program partner for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and raises the local funding that makes these monthly books possible.
✦ Help keep books coming. Every gift supports early literacy for local children.
$31
Provides one child with books for a full year
$62
Provides two children with books for a full year
$93
Provides three children with books for a full year​
When giving, please designate your gift for Imagination Library.
0–5
BOOKS BEGIN AT BIRTH AND CONTINUE THROUGH AGE FIVE.
12
AGE-APPROPRIATE BOOKS DELIVERED FOR A FULL YEAR
Build a home library
Children see themselves as readers when books are part of everyday life.
Prepare for school
Early literacy gives children a stronger foundation when they enter the classroom.
Grow confidence
Shared reading creates connection and gives children words for their ideas.​
Strengthen families
A monthly book creates a simple, meaningful opportunity to read together.
OUR LOCAL REACH
Enrolled. Graduated.
Ready to learn.
1,800
CURRENTLY ENROLLED
Local children receiving a book every month
3,562
PROGRAM GRADUATES
Local children who completed the program at age five
89%
READY TO LEARN
Surveyed families who say the program helped prepare their child for school.
The readiness figure is based on 103 Grays Harbor and Pacific County parent and caregiver survey responses in 2025.
THE RIPPLE EFFECT
Give a year of books. Every month.
A monthly gift of $31 can provide a full year of Imagination Library books for one local child each month. Over one year, your generosity can help 12 children build their own home libraries.
WHAT FAMILIES ARE SEEING
Books are becoming part of family life.
In a 2025 survey of local families, 84% said their child became more interested in books and reading, and 76% said their family reads more often after receiving Imagination Library books.
“This program has helped me build my son’s very own library. We have received books in both English and Spanish, so now his abuela can read him some of his favorite books as well.”
​
GRAYS HARBOR CAREGIVER
“She has begun ‘writing’ and illustrating her own little books.”
PACIFIC COUNTY CAREGIVER​
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“My 10-month-old son and his grandma love reading the Imagination Library books together every month. It’s a special moment for them, and I love it.”
​
GRAYS HARBOR CAREGIVER
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Source: 2025 Imagination Library of Washington Parent/Guardian Survey; 103 responses from Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties. Quotes lightly edited for length and clarity.
A STRONGER START BEGINS HERE
Give a child the joy of reading.
Your support helps local children receive books, build confidence, and grow ready for what comes next.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library selects and mails the books. United Way of Grays Harbor with your help raises the local funds that keep them coming.
OUR MISSION
We harness compassion to tackle major challenges, transforming lives with lasting impact so all can thrive.
OUR FOCUS
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2721 Simpson Avenue
Aberdeen, WA 98520
360-532-6260
info@unitedwaygraysharbor.org
