Imagination Bacon raises nearly $45,000 for local kids
Hundreds of bacon and brew lovers helped bring home enough bacon to fund a year's worth of books for 1,497 kids in Hall, Hamilton, Howard and Merrick Counties.
The 10th Annual Imagination Bacon raised nearly $45,000 for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of the Heartland United Way, selling nearly 850 tickets for the sold-out event on August 1.
Jim’s Championship Chili & Catering took home the golden pig, being named the Best Bacon Maker by a vote of the people. Island Band of Brewers (IBOB) was named Boss Hog Brewer following the vote by event attendees.
The Talbott Brothers called it the “coolest event we’ve ever played” from the stage at the Heartland Events Center.
For the last decade Imagination Bacon has helped the Heartland United Way send a free age-appropriate book every month in the mail to kids from birth to age 5 through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. More than 3,000 kids are currently enrolled in the program in our area. Graduates over the last year total 734.
It costs the Heartland United Way $30 per year for each child enrolled in the program. With generous support from community businesses and donors, this program has remained free and without a waitlist for enrolled children. Over the last decade, 354,352 books have been mailed to 12,200 local children.
“My son actually had a speech delay and several of the books were his favorites that we tried to incorporate into lessons with his speech therapist. Truck Stop and Ferdinand were two of his absolute favorites,” said Heather Loseke, of Aurora.
The Heartland United Way began its Imagination Library program in 2013 with a generous $35,000 grant from Michael Morledge, the late owner of Credit Management Services.
Thank you to this year’s Imagination Bacon Whole Hog Sponsors VenuWorks/Heartland Events Center and Sure Sound and Lighting, as well as Razorback Sponsors: Hornady Manufacturing, Melodee Anderson, Roses for You, Copycat Printing & Signs, The Grand Island Independent, Nebraska State Fair, and Fonner Park.
Parents with children ages 0-5 living in Hall, Hamilton, Howard, and Merrick Counties who would like to enroll their child(ren) in this program can visit Heartland United Way’s website: heartlandunitedway.org/imagination-library.