Dolly Parton’s vision of putting books into the hands of every child is now a reality for Sac County kids. On August 27, community leaders gathered at the Sacramento Central Public Library to announce the official launch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a beloved international program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth through age 5, regardless of family income.
The Imagination Library is the flagship initiative of The Dollywood Foundation, created by Parton in 1995 as a tribute to her father, who never learned to read. What began in Sevier County, Tennessee, has since grown into a global movement that has mailed more than 280 million books across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland. Each month, more than three million children now receive an age-appropriate book delivered straight to their home at no cost to their families. Penguin Random House serves as the exclusive publisher, ensuring each title is engaging and developmentally appropriate for its audience.
For Parton, the program is one of her proudest achievements. “Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done,” Parton shared. “I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission. The real heroes of our story are the thousands of local organizations who have embraced my dream and made it their own. They raise millions of dollars each year and wake up every day with a passion to make sure their kids have every opportunity to succeed.”…