Katie Azar made a capable presentation during last week’s meeting of the Batesville Rotary Club about the Junior Auxiliary’s many service programs.

Among them, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library that places new books into the hands of pre-school children, complementing JA’s RIF (Reading Is Fundamental) program that provides free books for school-age children.

“It’s no secret that the State of Mississippi really struggles with early childhood literacy programs,” Azar said.

JA is now in its second year with the Imagination Library. Each child enrolled receives by mail a new, carefully selected book every month until he or she reaches age five.

That’s every month.

The idea, of course, is to encourage parents to read to the child. JA has adopted the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program with the idea that a lack of reading material for children won’t be an obstacle.

The program is limited to children who are residents of zips 38606, 38658 and 38620 — Batesville, Pope and Courtland. JA estimates that will add about 120 kids per year. At an estimated $28 per child per year, they anticipate $17,000 annual cost when the program levels off after its fifth year.

Tri-Lakes Medical Center is helping sponsor the Imagination Library and during her presentation last week Azar asked Batesville Rotary to align with Rotary International’s sponsorship. Help yourself to more information about the Imagination Library by calling (662) 609-9334 or e-mail jaofbatesvillems@gmail.com.

The Imagination Library is but one of about a dozen JA programs that address vital needs in the community. The secret of how so few members (JA has 33 currently active, Azar said) can initiate and deliver so many service programs is in their organizational model, one I’ve grown to admire.

“Active” members are really active for about five years. Then they become “associates” and serve in a support/advisory/dues-paying capacity. After ten years as associates, they become life members with no more dues due. BJA has 28 associates and 113 life members, Azar said. Each year a new class of “provisionals” are added to replace the actives who are passing to associate status.

You get the idea: each year new energy and ideas flow in. That keeps the median age of the JA membership young and well below the ever-upward-creeping median age of other service organizations in this community.