CDI’s dedication sees them shortlisted for two awards

A charity in Fettercairn has been shortlisted for two honours at the eir Business and Chambers Ireland Awards 2026.

CDI, or Childhood Development Initiative, has been shortlisted for the Community impact/CSR Initiative of the Year award for their work on the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the In-House Marketing and Communications Team of the Year gong.

CDI is a community-based organisation operating out of St Mark’s Family and Youth Centre that works to improve outcomes for children, young people and families through evidence-informed programmes across education, early years, family support and community development.

The Imagination Library is a scheme spearheaded by Dolly Parton that aims to improve literacy by providing free books to children from birth to age five, and it has been active in Dublin 24 through CDI’s work for several years.

The team partnered with An Post to help deliver more than 5,000 books a month to children across the local community.

CDI CEO Marian Quinn said: “We are delighted to be recognised alongside An Post for the impact of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

“We are incredibly proud of our partnership with An Post and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in delivering this transformative book-gifting programme.

“Reaching more than 400,000 books delivered since 2019 is a remarkable achievement and reflects the commitment of all our partners to supporting children’s early literacy, language development and lifelong love of reading.”

In 2025, a total of 6,401 children received books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in the local area.

This year also marked a significant milestone, with CDI celebrating the delivery of 400,000 books to children in Dublin 24 since the programme launched in 2019.

CDI’s comms team are up for a gong as well, for their work promoting the charity’s programmes and services, their support of events and campaigns, and engagement with families, practitioners, funders and policymakers.

CDI Communications Coordinator Pauline Minsky stated: “This nomination reflects the dedication and creativity of our team in communicating CDI’s expertise, work and impact.

“We are proud to help share the stories of the children, families and communities we support.”

The community-based organisation noted that it was honoured to be recognised among this year’s finalists and as a possible winner, and looks forward to celebrating with fellow nominees at the awards ceremony.

The winners will be announced at an event at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre on Friday, June 26.