Making a Difference in Our Communities: The Dolly Parton Imagination Library

My name is Brother Steven Heubi of Hilton Lodge No. 1143. I have been working with children in Central Illinois for almost 20 years and have been a certified Special Education Teacher since 2010. In my time working with local educators and supporting organizations, I have been blessed with many friends and acquaintances from various organizations. 

In March, my friends Greg Weydert, the Director of the Creve Coeur Library, and Alissa Williams, the Director of the Morton Public Library, told me that they were seeking financial assistance from the community. Specifically for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a charity that provides free books to children from birth to age 5. While the books are free, the libraries need to raise funds to cover the cost of shipping.

Children participating in a reading of The Little Engine That Could, sponsored by Hilton Lodge No. 1143

After hearing of their need, I reached out to Gail Kilbury at the Illinois Masonic Children’s Assistance Program (IMCAP) to see what we could do to help them. I learned of the IMCAP’s grant for Youth Organization Connection, which allows lodges who have contributed to youth programs in the area to apply for a grant of up to $5,000 for additional support. While it did not guarantee funds, it did provide hope that we could help fund this project for them.

Due to how the grant was written, lodges have to donate an initial $200 in order to apply for the grant. Unfortunately, many local Lodges do not have those funds. In order to help local lodges with the donation amount to apply for the grant, I asked for help from Brother Chris Reed, and together, we reached out to the Widows Sons Chapter One Five. They believed in this project enough to donate $1,000 to assist any lodge that didn’t have an initial donation to give. 

Brothers posing with a Dolly Parton cut-out

Brother Chris Reed and I then traveled to every lodge in Tazewell County, and a few in Peoria County. If a particular Masonic organization did not qualify to apply for the grant, they volunteered to help promote the project and assist in signing children up for it. By mid-July, we unified an entire county of Freemasonry, securing grant votes and assistance from the following lodges:

Hilton Lodge No. 1143

Frank N. Nicol Lodge No. 1170

Cathedral Lodge No. 1179

Taylor Lodge No. 98

Empire Lodge No. 126

Morton Lodge No. 352

Tremont Lodge No. 462

Delavan Lodge No. 156

Grand View Lodge No. 1112

Comet Lodge No. 641

Widows Sons Chapter One Five

Abbas Grotto

Scottish Rite Peoria Valley

Pekin York Rite

Hilton Lodge No. 1143 presenting a $25,000 check to the Imagination Library

On August 21, 2024, we presented checks to the libraries for over $25,000. In doing so, we have provided a free book, every month, to 7,000 children in Tazewell County through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for approximately 4 years.