June 26, 2025
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Joliet Rotary raffle supports early childhood literacy

The club received 15 applications for the raffle proceeds

By Denise M. Baran-Unland
The recipient of the $50,000 proceeds from the 2024 Rotary Club of Joliet raffle is Will County Center for Economic Development in support of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Pictured, from left, are Pictured are Kayla Sorenson, external affairs with the Will County Center for Economic Development Foundation, Megan Millen, executive director of the Joliet Public Library and the Rotarian who sponsored the project, and Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Will County County Executive, who is directing the program.

The recipient of the $50,000 proceeds from the 2024 Rotary Club of Joliet raffle is Will County Center for Economic Development in support of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Pictured, from left, are Pictured are Kayla Sorenson, external affairs with the Will County Center for Economic Development Foundation, Megan Millen, executive director of the Joliet Public Library and the Rotarian who sponsored the project, and Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Will County County Executive, who is directing the program. (Photo provided by the Rotary Club of Joliet)

Proceeds from the Rotary Club of Joliet’s annual raffle will support early childhood literacy.

The recipient of the $50,000 proceeds from the 2024 raffle is the Will County Center for Economic Development in support of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, according to a news release from the Rotary Club of Joliet.

The club received 15 applications for the raffle proceeds, according to the release. After “careful review,” three finalists were invited to present to club membership.

After a membership vote, club president Diane Cepela announced the recipient.

The Imagination Library is a book-giving program that mails free, high-quality and age-appropriate books – personalized with the child’s name – to the homes of 39,000 Will County children from birth to age 5.

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and the Will County Center for Economic Development partnered with the Dollywood Foundation to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Will County.

The Rotary Club of Joliet’a annual raffle began in 1984 and has since donated more than $1 million to local nonprofits.

For more information, visit jolietrotary.org and willcountyillinois.org.

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