Dillon Community Story Stroll Named 2026 Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program Honoree

The University of Montana Western is proud to announce that the Dillon Community Story Stroll, a partnership between Montana Western, School District #10 , and the Dillon Public Library that supports community youth literacy and reading experiences, has been selected as a 2026 Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program Emerging Strategies Honoree. The Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program recognizes organizations in the United States and abroad that provide exemplary, innovative, sustainable, and replicable strategies to promote literacy and reading. Established by the Library of Congress in 2013, the program is generously supported by philanthropist David M. Rubenstein and, since 2023, by the Kislak Family Foundation. With support from Rubenstein and the Kislak Family Foundation, the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program has awarded more than $4.8 million to more than 250 organizations in 42 countries since 2013. The Library of Congress announced the 2026 honorees on September 8, 2026, International Literacy Day. Twenty-one organizations were recognized through this year's Literacy Awards Program, including the Dillon Community Story Stroll, which will receive a $5,000 award to support the program. Katie Miller, Katrina Kennett, and Kim Denny have also been invited to attend the awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. in November. The Dillon Community Story Stroll began in 2021 when Dillon Middle School teacher Katie Miller, public Library Director Lori Roberts, and University of Montana Western professor Dr. Katrina Kennett teamed up to bring a choose-your-own-adventure project to life as a community Story Stroll. Since then, the project has grown into an annual intergenerational collaboration. First graders research a topic, such as habitats or local animals, and a genre, such as fractured fairy tales. Their eighth-grade reading buddies then transform that learning into an interactive, illustrated story. The finished stories are published as both yard signs and bound books, complete with ISBNs, allowing all of the student authors to take home a published copy of their work. Pre-service teachers from Montana Western add another layer to the project by recording students reading their stories aloud and linking those recordings to QR codes on every sign and page. The result is a community reading experience that combines writing, illustration, technology, mentorship, and outdoor activity. The project's goal is to help young writers in the rural community see themselves as real authors writing for a real audience, while giving families a reason to read and walk together outdoors. Along the way, first graders practice research, comprehension, and reading fluency; eighth graders develop narrative writing and mentorship skills; and future teachers practice authentic technology integration in a real classroom setting. The Story Stroll has also become a broader community experience. Hands-on activities at the school district's Celebration of Excellence allow children of all ages to craft pillows or design stickers featuring characters from that year's story. Local businesses help print the books and signs, while community grants and organizational support help make the project possible each year. 'Every year this project invites the joy and hard work of everyone involved. On recording days, you can feel the first graders' sense of accomplishment when reading their part aloud and the eighth graders' pride in their story and artwork. I love watching UMW students rethink what technology can do when it's in service of a meaningful, student-centered project. To make it all possible, I'm incredibly grateful for the community support we have received over the years,' said Dr. Kennett. Miller said the project demonstrates that reading can be both a social and active experience. 'Ecstatic. This word definitely captures the energy I have been carrying around as I've shared the news with close family and friends,' Miller said. 'The Library of Congress recognizes our Story Stroll project as an exemplar of innovative strategies to promote literacy and reading. What I love most about our project is that it reminds us that reading doesn't have to be a solo activity, and it doesn't have to be done sitting down. In our Story Stroll, you enjoy the company of others and walk and interact with a story made by our own youth. It's pretty special.' The project's impact extends beyond the students who create each year's story. Garret Yeager, a former Montana Western education student who participated in the Story Stroll, said the experience helped him build relationships with local schools and the Dillon Public Library that continued into his work with children. 'The middle school students had to learn to work with the wildly imaginative concepts of the first graders and transform them into a story,' Yeager said. 'The first graders got the opportunity to practice reading in front of older students and the pre-service teachers. For some, this was a challenge met by overwhelming encouragement; for others, it was their moment to shine.' Yeager also witnessed the project's impact on the broader community. 'I got to see the effects it had on the community as members walked through the signs and listened to the voices of local first graders while following the choose-your-own-adventure story constructed by the middle schoolers,' Yeager said. The Dillon Community Story Stroll was named Montana Library Program of the Year in 2023. Over the years, the project has received support from Dillon Friends of the Library, United Way of Beaverhead County, Kappa Delta Pi, Humanities Montana, the National Education Association, and Montana Western through both Academic Affairs and the UMW Foundation. Now entering its fifth year, the Dillon Community Story Stroll is expanding toward permanent installation sites and a formal research study examining its impact. The Library of Congress recognition provides additional support for the project as it continues to bring students, educators, families, and the broader Dillon community together through literacy. Families and community members are invited to visit the University of Montana Western campus and Dillon Public Library this week (September 8-13) to experience the 2026 Story Stroll and celebrate the authors and stories in our community. To learn more about the 2026 Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program and view the full announcement, visit the Library of Congress Newsroom . For more information about the Library of Congress, visit www.loc.gov .