ORLANDO, Fla. – She was known for hits like “9 to 5″ and “Islands in the Stream,” but music legend Dolly Parton was also known for her efforts to boost literacy.
In 2023, the singer’s foundation celebrated giving away its 200 millionth book for free to more than 2.5 million kids through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Every month, hundreds of kids in Central Florida receive a book from the Imagination Library mailed to their homes. Parton says she started the library in 1995 in honor of her dad.
“Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission,” said Parton. “Before he passed away, my daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my daddy. He was the smartest man I have ever known, but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.”…