Follett Foundation Partners With Chinle Group to Bring Imagination Library to Navajo Nation

The Follett Educational Foundation has partnered with Chinle Planting Hope to bring Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to the Navajo Nation in Apache County, adding a nationally recognized early childhood literacy program to the Indigenous-led nonprofit's growing roster of community services in Chinle.

Chinle Planting Hope, founded in 2016, describes its guiding ethic as "Go to the people. Live with them. Learn from them. Love them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have." That philosophy has shaped an organization that now runs a food bank, community garden, bike shop, thrift store, and a bookmobile and literacy program that specifically promotes Indigenous authors and illustrators. The Follett Educational Foundation, a philanthropic arm tied to the Follett family and its educational businesses, joins a list of institutional supporters that includes Fiesta Bowl Charities, the Wayfarer Foundation, and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Imagination Library program will extend the reach of literacy work that Chinle Planting Hope has pursued through its R.E.A.D. in Beauty Bookmobile, a Ford vehicle that the organization has sought to sustain through a monthly operating budget of roughly $5,000 covering salaries, vehicle insurance, and supplies. Fiesta Bowl Charities, which listed CPH among its 2022-2023 recipients, directed grant funding toward both the Bookmobile project and the development of CPH's Imagination Station, a hands-on learning space for elementary school children in Chinle.

The organization's track record with competitive grants is notable for a grassroots group operating in a rural tribal community. In March 2022, CPH was named a Ken Kendrick Grand Slam grant recipient by the Arizona Diamondbacks after a team that included Bessie, Kathy, Alvira, Jan, and Nicole drove to Phoenix to present before the Diamondbacks Board. Kathy and Nicole later attended the Diamondbacks Gala to receive the award. "We are humbled, grateful and excited to partner with the AZ Diamondbacks," CPH stated at the time. "This extraordinary honor will greatly impact CPH and the development of our growing Community Center in Chinle." CPH also credits the Wayfarer Foundation with "helping to make a difference in Chinle, AZ," and was designated a 2024 Civic Hub grantee by the Trust for Civic Life.

Beyond literacy, CPH's Community Volunteer Team has grown to more than 50 adults and 30 children who have collectively contributed thousands of hours to local organizations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization raised $65,000 and distributed more than 1,000 food boxes and personal protective equipment kits to vulnerable elderly residents and quarantining families. Future plans include a Chinle Adult Education Center for pre-GED level adults, a need formally identified by the local Women, Infants, and Children program supervisor, and a Chinle S.T.E.M. Learning Center. A Community HOPE Thrift Store is under construction, and an outdoor play space is in development following a grant award. The Chinle Bike Shop is being developed in partnership with Silver Stallion of Gallup, New Mexico, and Homes for Living Hope.

The Trust for Civic Life frames CPH's cumulative work as building toward something durable: "By providing these new programs, CPH is actively creating the conditions for lasting change in their rural Diné region, working towards a more prosperous, vibrant, and connected Chinle for generations to come."

Details on the enrollment process for Imagination Library, the number of children expected to be served, and the program's implementation timeline were not immediately available. More information about Chinle Planting Hope is at chinleplantinghope.com.