United Way Kicks Off Early Literacy Fundraiser at Anderson Snow Park

The kickball brackets, food trucks, and family activities at Anderson Snow Park converged Saturday around a single mission: sustaining free monthly book deliveries to more than 1,100 Hernando County children.

United Way of Hernando County held its 11th annual "KICK" Start to Early Literacy at the Spring Hill park on March 28, drawing teams from local businesses and organizations to compete in a kickball tournament while families explored a kids' zone and a food truck lineup. The event is the county's most visible annual fundraiser for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which ships a new book to enrolled children from birth through age five every month at no cost to families.

The Imagination Library program currently serves more than 1,100 children in Hernando County. Proceeds from Saturday's tournament cover continued book distributions, program marketing, and the cost of expanding enrollment. Organizers used the gathering as an enrollment platform as well, giving families the chance to sign up eligible children on-site and connect with volunteers who support the effort throughout the year.

Local parks and recreation, corporate sponsors, and health-system partners contributed to the event's scope, broadening both the fundraising reach and the outreach effort. Research consistently links early literacy programs to improved school-readiness metrics, and United Way has pointed to rising participation and expanded community partnerships as the primary tools for improving reading readiness at kindergarten entry across the county.

Families who missed Saturday's event can still donate to the campaign or enroll eligible children through United Way of Hernando County. Organizers plan to host similar community-engagement events later in 2026, with a stated focus on expanding Imagination Library enrollment in underserved parts of the county.