A free book program that has mailed stories to children across the Pikes Peak region for 14 years was on the brink of losing its local funding until Geoff and Jessica Mulligan stepped in. The couple created the Pikes Peak Early Literacy Foundation to take over sponsorship of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library after Pikes Peak United Way said it could no longer foot the bill, keeping free monthly books flowing to more than 9,000 children in El Paso and Teller counties.
The Mulligans learned the local Imagination Library program might stop giving books to children and decided they had to act, according to KRDO. Geoff Mulligan said he and Jessica would make the program happen, and that the foundation's goal is to stabilize it for the coming years, per the same report. The nonprofit is now sponsoring the Imagination Library locally after KKTV reported that Pikes Peak United Way decided it could not continue providing funding for the program.
Pikes Peak United Way CEO Cami Bremer said the organization ended its partnership with the Imagination Library because it considered other options better suited to the work, according to KRDO. Bremer said collaboration should let organizations focus on the work they are best positioned to do, the outlet reported. The transition does not require families to do anything on their end — previously enrolled children will not have to re-register to keep receiving their monthly free book, per KRDO.
How the Funding Actually Breaks Down
According to Mulligan, Colorado pays half the cost of the books while the Pikes Peak Early Literacy Foundation will cover the other half, amounting to about $10,000 per month for its share, as reported by KRDO. That split tracks with how the program works statewide: the Imagination Library of Colorado says the state funds 50% of book costs while local sponsors fund the other 50%, according to Imagination Library of Colorado.
The dollar figures involved have shifted depending on who's doing the counting. Pikes Peak United Way told The Gazette back in September that operating the local affiliate cost about $250,000 annually, with the state and the organization each paying half. The Gazette also reported the program then had 9,023 children enrolled to receive monthly books, while FOX21 News more recently put the figure at about 9,000 children across El Paso and Teller counties continuing to get their books.
A Program Still Reaching Only Half the County
Even with the new foundation in place, coverage has limits. KKTV reported that the program currently covers only half of El Paso County, leaving plenty of families outside its reach for now. The Pikes Peak Early Literacy Foundation is seeking community members to help fund the program further, according to KRDO, and children can sign up for it through the foundation's website.
At the time FOX21 News spoke with the Mulligans, the Pikes Peak Early Literacy Foundation was not yet officially registered as a nonprofit, though the couple hoped to finish that process in January. FOX21 reported the Mulligans were also aiming to launch a fundraising campaign ahead of Colorado Gives Day on Dec. 8. The program ships free, age-appropriate books to kids ages zero to five every month, per FOX21's reporting.
More Than a Decade of Local Distribution, Statewide Growth
The Pikes Peak region's Imagination Library program began in January 2013, and in the fiscal year that ended June 30, the local affiliate distributed 97,766 books, The Gazette reported. Statewide, the program has grown substantially since Senate Bill 20-185 took effect in 2021, subsidizing half the cost of the books, according to the Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab. In 2021, statewide participation among eligible Colorado children was 4%, but the Evaluation & Action Lab's more recent report found that all 64 Colorado counties now enroll children in the program, with 27% of the state's children from birth to age five receiving books each month.
The research behind the program points to measurable benefits. The Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab reported that participating children scored higher on average on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills assessment at kindergarten entry compared to similar nonparticipating children at the same school, and that participation reduced the likelihood of scoring well below benchmark by between 16% and 24%. For Colorado Springs-area families wondering how to support the effort, Imagination Library of Colorado notes that a $31 donation covers one child's books for an entire year.
