SOUTHWEST WYOMING– United Way of Southwest Wyoming (UWSW) was awarded a $5,000 gift from Genesis Alkali for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Southwest Wyoming.
Genesis Alkali’s Donation Funds 1,667 Books
This program increases the time parents spend reading out loud with their children. With these funds, 1,667 books will be mailed to children in Sweetwater County.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides the books, while UWSW raises funds to mail one book a month, for free, to every enrolled child’s home. This encourages parents to read to their children with a guaranteed access to books.
“Reading aloud is the most important thing a parent can do to help their child be ready for kindergarten,” said Kelly Frink, Executive Director of UWSW, “this program is part of our education initiative to help students succeed.”
Parents can enroll their children in DPILSW online by visiting swunitedway.org or by paper forms available at the UWSW office, 510 South Main Street, Rock Springs, WY.
Supporting the United Way Community Diaper Bank
Employees of Genesis Alkali and United Steelworkers Local 13214 are also supporting UWSW this season with a recent donation of 6,273 diapers and 480 diapers for the United Way Community Diaper Bank that were collected at their holiday parties.
“If you haven’t bought diapers for a while you forget how expensive they are,” said David Caplan, Director Corporate Communications at Genesis Alkali. “We were happy to be able to collect donations for the Diaper Bank again this year and help families experiencing diaper need.”
Diaper need is the struggle to provide enough diapers to keep a baby or toddler clean, dry and healthy. Families experiencing diaper need find it difficult to afford diapers. The United Way Community Diaper Bank was established to keep babies healthy while enabling parents to work or attend school.
Community Diaper Bank Distributed 60,031 Diapers in 2017
Through collaboration with other agencies in southwest Wyoming, the Community Diaper Bank helps families struggling to meet their child’s diaper need by providing a reliable source of diapers.
“Families need diapers and with no government assistance programs for diapers, the Community Diaper Bank is a way the community can help,” stated Shelley Richno, Community Impact Coordinator for UWSW.
In 2017, the Community Diaper Bank distributed 60,031 diapers in Sweetwater County. This number continues to rise each year. Residents can help by volunteering, donating or hosting their own diaper drive. Families in need can get diapers by visiting the Food Bank of Sweetwater County in Rock Springs or Green River on their distribution days.
