Iam Tongi, the winner of season 21 of American Idol, will perform in Ridgefield this month in support of a program that aims to boost childhood literacy rates.
The Jan. 18 concert at ilani Resort in Ridgefield will benefit Imagination Library of Washington, the statewide partner of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Established statewide in 2022, the Imagination Library provides free monthly books to children up to 5 years old regardless of their family’s income. Across the state, more than 120,000 children have registered for the program.
“We are so excited to celebrate Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in a fun way. We are beyond grateful to American Idol Champion Iam Tongi for stepping up to provide an unforgettable evening of entertainment to ensure our children continue to receive their free monthly Imagination Library books in Washington State,” Imagination Library of Washington Executive Director Brooke Fisher-Clark said in a statement.
The Imagination Library launched statewide to much excitement in 2022, with legislation to expand the program overwhelmingly passing both chambers. State Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, a sponsor of the legislation, introduced Parton when she visited Tacoma in August 2023 to promote the program and celebrate its successful first year.
“Reading together not only helped our children to become kindergarten-ready, it created quality family time,” Abbarno said as he recounted his family’s use of the program. “We focused on us. And I think that’s, to me, the best part of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.”
Parton, a world-renowned country music singer, established the program in her home county in East Tennessee in 1995. Since its creation, the program has expanded to states across the country, and internationally to Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
According to the Imagination Library, the program distributes more than a million books a month, with one in seven American children under the age of five registered.
“I think it really instills a love for reading and a love for books,” Parton said during the Aug. 15, 2023, event.
The concert by Tongi will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $85, and attendees who wish to spend the night will receive a 20% discount on hotel accommodations.
For more information, go to imaginationlibrarywashington.org/iam_tongi_benefit_concert.
