Thanks to everyone who came to our inaugural Dolly Dash
5K Fun Walk/Run on April 11, 2026 at Southern Hills Mall!
Presented by Klinger Companies & the Gleeson Family Foundation, Dolly Dash was an incredible success! Thank you to our sponsors Great West Casualty Company, The Kind World Foundation, Seaboard Triumph Foods, Tyson Foods Inc. / UFCW Local 222IN, Bob & Ellen's, Premier Bankcard, and Media Sponsors KTIV, Powell Broadcasting and Lamar Advertising!
Our second annual Dolly Dash 5K Fun Walk/Run will be taking place on March 6, 2027!
Follow this page as more information becomes available.
ABOUT DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails a free, age-appropriate book every month to children from birth to age five. United Way of Siouxland has been the local supporter of the Imagination Library for 25 years.
Locally, thousands of children have graduated from the Imagination Library program with greater literacy skills, parent engagement and kindergarten readiness.
Presented by Klinger Companies & the Gleeson Family Foundation, the Dolly Dash 5K Fun Walk/Run will directly support the Imagination Library in Siouxland, helping local kids build their own home libraries and a lifelong love of reading. The goal of the 2026 Dolly Dash is to increase the number of children who can register for the program from 1,300 to 2,000 children who will receive a book every month.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL) has been the subject of various studies that highlight its positive impact on early childhood development, particularly in terms of literacy and school readiness. Here’s an overview of some key findings from studies on the benefits of the program:
- Research has found that just after 10 books, children in the program were at least 4x more likely to demonstrate stronger emerging literacy skills - such as vocabulary and phonological awareness - compared to children not in the program.
- Children enrolled were 9x more likely to be read to 4 or more days per week compared to children not in the program.
- Children in the program were 9x more likely to be interested in books and 15x more likely to join in during shared book reading compared to children not in the program.