JMU three-pointers score a donation from Lantz Construction to the Imagination Library

Lantz Construction representatives join staff from Massanutten Regional Library  and The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham (TCFHR) at the Feb. 28 James Madison University women’s basketball game. From left: Cynthia Prieto, TCFHR board member; Jeff Deavers, chief preconstruction officer for Lantz Construction; Lauren Jefferson, director of programs and marketing at TCFHR; Zach Elder, director of Massanutten Regional Libraries; and Arianna Williams, director of communications and marketing at Lantz.

Every time James Madison University women’s basketball players hit a three-point shot this season, they scored some cash to support literacy initiatives. Carrying on a strong tradition of coporate philanthropy, Lantz Construction partnered with JMU Athletics this winter for a charitable campaign to promote early childhood literacy and development.

The donation of $1,000 benefitted Massanutten Regional Library and the local branch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a monthly book gifting program that is free for all children under the age of five in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. The program, which is operated in a partnership between The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham and The Dollywood Foundation, serves more than 3,300 children in the area.

A state bill aids in 50 percent of the cost, but the other half, about $7,000, is covered each month by TCFHR. Funds come from donations such as that given generously by Lantz, as well as limited grant funding from Rockingham County and other sources.

“To keep Dolly’s dream of books for children alive in our area, we depend on generous citizens and businesses who want to support literacy initiatives,” said Lauren Jefferson, who heads the Dolly program at TCFHR. “These funds enable us to continue reaching babies and toddlers in families that might not be able to afford a new book each month. We’re grateful to Lantz Construction for their contribution to this worthy cause and for their investment in the future of our little readers.”

Lantz Construction Company is a “Class A” general contractor licensed in Virginia and West Virginia specializing in commercial design-build construction.