She’s “pure and simple” all while educating children one book at a time.
By: Felicia Naoum
Updated October 3, 2021
NORTHFIELD, OHIO –
“It came from a very pure place in my life and in my heart. A lot of my own relatives weren’t able to get an education. My daddy couldn’t read and write…” -Dolly Parton on her Imagination Library
Dolly Parton, 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, never left country music as she often says, “I just took it with me.” This holds true for Dolly’s roots as well. If you listen to Dolly’s famous song, Coat of Many Colors, you will see how her rags to riches story never changed her. Now, with Dolly’s Imagination Library, she has books of many colors for children of many backgrounds across the map that have been delivered monthly since 1995 (Dolly Parton’s Imagine Library, 2016).
At first glance, you see big, blonde, beautiful hair and glamorous makeup, but underneath it all, lies someone who never forgot where she came from and the importance of giving back.
It began in the mountains of East Tennessee where Dolly lived a financially challenging but happy childhood as her parents persevered in raising 12 children.
After speaking with Dolly, I was reminded that her father was illiterate when she was a child. Although seeing her father face such challenges affected her deeply, she turned things around in ways that some can only imagine. The catalyst: a loving father with a challenge and self-motivation like no other. The outcome: Dolly’s Imagination Library cultivated by Dolly herself to provide children in her community with a book, each month from birth to kindergarten, so they can learn to read.
Dolly further explained how reading can open many doors, regardless of socioeconomic background. “I just take pride in putting books in the hands of children because if you can learn to read, you can self-educate yourself if you can’t afford to go to school.” Dolly took this experience and has begun to change the world of children, one book at a time.
Communities everywhere are feeling the impact of building literacy. Andrea, a Literacy Tutor (Cleveland, Ohio) with a lifelong career in education, shared commentary when asked what Dolly’s Imagination Library means to her: “A program like this is important. Once children gain literacy, the whole world opens for them.” Andrea added, “I always tell my students that if they can learn to read, they can gain knowledge about any subject that’s of interest to them.”
I’m certain Dolly’s father, her sidekick in building Imagination Library would be thankful for the communities being reached.
Dolly’s voice filled with pride when she explained how proud her father was of her Imagination Library. “He took a lot of pride and felt like he was doing something great.”
Just as there are no limitations to how far your imagination can go, there are also no limitations to how far Dolly’s library can reach. Dolly’s generosity didn’t stop in Tennessee. In fact, it spread across states and eventually around the world. One book at a time has turned into one million a month as Dolly celebrated this success in November 2016 at a concert in her hometown (Dolly Parton Productions, 2016).
As we know, Dolly spends a great deal of her time touring the world, but her happiest place is her hometown; a hometown that is the grassroots of who she is, what she has done with her life, and one of her biggest accomplishments: the birth of Imagination Library.
For more information on how you can be a part of Dolly’s Imagination Library, visit: http://dollyparton.com/imagination_library/ and to catch Dolly on her latest tour, “Pure & Simple,” visit: http://dollyparton.com/tour-schedule-upcoming-events.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.imaginationlibrary.com/
Dolly Parton Productions. 2016. Retrieved from: http://dollyparton.com/imagination_library/million-a-month-milestone/13012
