At the 2025 WVAAP Conference in Canaan Valley on Friday night, the West Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics recognized Jamie Lima, the State Director of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, in partnership with Marshall University’s June Harless Center.
Lima is the Recipient of WVAAP Friend of Children Award for her work advancing the chapter’s early literacy initiative, which was the focus of this year’s statewide conference.
The award was presented by WVAAP President Dr. Jennifer Gerlach, an esteemed Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine alumna, Associate Professor, and Assistant Dean for Longitudinal Curriculum.
“This is an unexpected honor,” says Lima, who spoke at the conference.
Topics covered at the conference highlighted studies on the positive effects of parent-child reading and brain development, and ways pediatricians can promote early literacy to families in well-visits the same way safe sleep habits are encouraged for child development.
Lima serves on the faculty of the WVAAP Literacy Task Force, which coordinated a successful Pediatric Literacy Pilot Project through grant funding by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation enrolling children into DPIL at pediatric clinics in Kanawha, Monongalia, Marion, and Cabell Counties. The project will provide 4,765 Imagination Library books to 80 children over five years.
Dr. Gerlach shares, “Jamie introduced ideas and resources to help us achieve in two weeks what we anticipated being a three month project.”
Lima is credited with the creation of the DPIL Book Redistribution Program, a collaboration which is gaining momentum saving thousands of undeliverable Imagination Library books statewide from being unused, discarded, or destroyed, and placing them in the hands of children and families. The books are provided to children’s hospitals, pediatric clinics, pre-K classrooms, free little libraries, an adult English language learning center, and ChildLaw Services.
“I am often asked if I can provide organizations with the collection of Imagination Library books,” Lima explains, which is a 60-volume set of developmentally-appropriate titles, professionally selected by the Dollywood Foundation’s Blue Ribbon Committee of literacy experts. The books are delivered monthly by mail directly to each enrolled child, building a home library of learning themes from birth to age five.
“I shared with the WVAAP Literacy Task Force that I knew where we could get the books if we had a team of volunteers. They rallied the manpower and provided the personnel.”
Lima issued a letter to USPS Postmasters announcing the initiative.
“The Book Redistribution Program would not be possible without the dedication of the WVAAP volunteers, which includes pediatricians like Dr. Jennifer Gerlach who literally drive to USPS sites and collect the books.”
All Imagination Library books are paid for by the June Harless Center at Marshall University and their county partners, who make the program possible statewide with the Dollywood Foundation.
The WVAPP Literacy Task Force is a collaborative operation comprised of ten members from across the state including pediatricians representing the literacy organizations Reach Out and Read and Read Aloud WV.
“I am inspired by what we can achieve together through service and collaboration.” Lima adds, “I believe when you lead with passion and purpose, success inevitably follows.”