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Prolific poster Ted Langhorne polices Wilkes-Barre Crime Watch Facebook page

Letter to the Editor: Tell Sen. Lisa Baker to take action on state’s minimum wage

<p>While I don&#8217;t drive a pickup truck, write about broken hearts or drown my troubles in beer or whiskey, over the years I have become a country music fan. I do have an appreciation for some of the classics like Cash, Waylon and Willie, but I much prefer today&#8217;s country sound and style compared to the pickin&#8217; and grinnin&#8217; many of us grew up with watching Buck and Roy on &#8220;Hee Haw.&#8221;</p><p>One classic country music legend who I like even more today than I did when she was on top of the charts and winning all kinds of awards is the iconic Dolly Parton. As an entertainer, Dolly has been relevant since the early Seventies and continues to be in great demand. As a humanitarian making an impact, her star is still rising high.</p><p>Recently, a TV movie of Dolly Parton&#8217;s childhood called &#8220;Coat of Many Colors&#8221; aired. It was a faith-based portrayal of her family&#8217;s struggles when Dolly was just 9 years old. In it, Dolly quotes from Scripture and reminds us that &#8220;love never fails.&#8221;</p><p>Dolly Parton was one of 12 children who grew up in a very poor family. Her father didn&#8217;t know how to read but insisted that all of his children learn how. Her mother was a very spiritual person who taught her about love, hope and charity. Dolly has taken these early life lessons and now, with her fame and fortune, has created the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and is helping nearly a million children, from birth to 5 years old, access books and spark the love of reading and learning.</p><p>In August 2014, with the help of a substantial gift from a very charitable family, the United Way of Wyoming Valley became a very proud partner with the Dolly Parton Foundation. To date, we have been able to register nearly 1,700 local children in the Imagination Library and as a result, every month a brand new age-appropriate book is sent to each child to help foster the love of reading. That&#8217;s more than 20,000 books coming to the Wyoming Valley every year to benefit our children. That is music to my ears.</p><p>Why is this important? Science tells us that the early years are the learning years! A child&#8217;s first five years are the most crucial for brain development. Pediatricians and educators have long emphasized that reading to and with young children is critically important and greatly improves the odds of success in school and in life. If we are going to help lift children out of poverty and improve the community we call home, we need to support early childhood learning. It is perhaps the most important work we could be doing!</p><p>While the Imagination Library is free to program participants, there is a cost of $30 per year per child. During this holiday season, the United Way of Wyoming Valley would like to encourage you to consider giving the &#8220;gift of reading&#8221; to a child in need. To do so, please call us at 570-829-6711 or visit our website for more information at <a href="http://www.unitedwaywb.org/" target="_blank">www.unitedwaywb.org</a>.</p><p>It seems to me that Dolly Parton is a rare celebrity who has risen to stardom but has stayed true to her roots. She remembers what it is like to be poor and knows we are called to be kind, loving and generous. As we go through another holiday season and make our resolutions for the new year, it is good to be reminded that when we do what we can to lift up children, that is a love that never fails.</p><p>You don&#8217;t even need a twangy song about trucks, broken hearts or whiskey to really appreciate that message. May you have the merriest of seasons and a very happy, healthy new year.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Bill Jones</p><p>Contributing Columnist</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Bill Jones is president and CEO of <a href="http://unitedwaywb.org/" target="_blank">United Way of Wyoming Valley</a>.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Bill Jones: Spread ‘gift of reading’ to area children via the Imagination Library