SALEM — The Brightside Project will be hosting a special fundraiser to support the Columbiana County Imagination Library Program. 

According to a press release, the Brightside Project will be hosting a dinner at the Rumpled Queen, located at 387 S. Broadway Ave. on Jan. 19, to raise funds for the Imagination Library of Columbiana County, which delivers 3,000 Columbiana County children “a free, age-appropriate book mailed directly to their home every month, from birth until their fifth birthday.” The dinner will be themed after Imagination Library founder Dolly Parton, with “a specially curated Dolly-inspired menu, live music, and an elevated dining experience” and will celebrate Parton’s 80th birthday. 

There is limited seating available, and reservations are required in advance; cocktail attire is suggested. 

Available time slots for the dinner are from 5 to 8 p.m., and tickets will be $100 per person, with all proceeds directly supporting the Brightside Project’s efforts to maintain the Columbiana County program. As the Imagination Library Partner for Columbiana County, the Brightside Project is responsible for raising funds to cover half of the cost of the program each year, “making community support and fundraising efforts essential to sustaining and expanding this life-changing initiative.” 

An initiative which the release notes “is internationally recognized for its impact on early childhood development, school readiness, and family engagement,” and “relies on partners like The Brightside Project to ensure children in Columbiana County have equitable access to books, regardless of income or circumstance.” 

“Early literacy is one of the strongest predictors of a child’s long-term success. When children have books in their homes from the very beginning, they build language skills, confidence, and a love of learning that sets them up for success as they enter kindergarten and beyond,” said Brightside Project Co-Director Lisa Vittorio. 

For information or to reserve tickets, visit www.brightsideprojectohio.org/dolly.