Dolly Parton’s organization has officially hit the 200 book milestone after 30 years, sending free books out to young children all over the globe.
The Imagination Library project has just hit a huge milestone; the organization has officially distributed 200 million books globally since its conception in 1995. The milestone was officially hit in 2024, and since then, the number of books distributed has only grown.
What Is the Imagination Library?
Set up in 1995, the Imagination Library is an initiative led by country royalty Dolly Parton. The organization is dedicated to inspiring young people to fall in love with reading and aims to do so by gifting free books to children aged 0 to 5.
Dolly Parton was inspired by her father’s inability to read or write and originally set up the Imagination Library to help the kids in her local area: Sevier County, Tennessee. Since then, however, the program has gone global.
Today, as it stands, Dolly Parton’s initiative gives away over 2.4 million free, age-appropriate, and high-quality books each month to children all over the globe. The books are always free, and it is open to any child where there is a community partner. Currently, the program gives books away in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland.
Talking about the project, Dolly Parton said, “I know there are children in communities around the world with big dreams, and the seeds of these dreams are often found in books.”
Since its inception, the Imagination Library has hit a number of milestones. In 2006, it opened in Canada. In 2007, it hit the UK. In 2010, they reached 25 million books. 2011 saw Braille and audio books added. In 2013, it expanded to Australia, and then in 2016, the organization was sending out 1 million books each month. In 2020, the Imagination Library sent out 150 million books. And now, here we are!
According to the Imagination Library’s website, they’ve given out 264,181,752 books since their inception. In 2024, they gave out 26,714,624 alone!
Seven Enchanting Bookmarks to Celebrate
To celebrate the massive milestone of 200 million books, Dolly Parton gave away seven “enchanting” bookmarks inside Imagination Library books. This was back in September to align with International Literacy Month.
The way the bookmarks were given out meant that seven random families/children would find a bookmark within their book in September. Anyone who did, won some other prizes, too.
Those who won the bookmarks also won a video chat with Dolly Parton herself, a personalized signed letter from Dolly Parton, an autographed photo, and four Dollywood Theme Park tickets!
Not only that, but The Dollywood Foundation agreed to donate to the Local Imagination Library Local Partners of every winner, giving out £2000 or $2000.
What Does Dolly Parton Have to Say About It?
Talking about The Imagination Library, Dolly Parton said: “It’s been one of my greatest gifts in life to help instill a love of reading through my Imagination Library. Reaching 200 million books worldwide is a major milestone that I’m so very proud of, and I want to thank all of our local program partners, funders, and supporters from the bottom of my heart.
But we’re just getting warmed up, we have so much more to do! Together, we can inspire even more children to dream more, learn more, care more, and be more.”
Dolly’s Passion for Philanthropy
It might seem strange to some that an American country singer has set out to make such an impact on the literacy landscape, but Dolly Parton is actually a very charitable star. She’s done more for the world of philanthropy than most people.
In 1988, Dolly set up The Dollywood Foundation. Set up in Tennessee, The Dollywood Foundation set out to decrease the rate of people dropping out of high school. Soon after this, Dolly set up the Buddy Program. This gave $500 to every seventh and eighth grader who finished school. This was a success, and the high school dropout rate dropped from 35% to just 6%!
In 1989, Dolly Parton offered a $500 scholarship to any student who wanted to attend Hiwassee College.
Two years later, Dolly Parton set up the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary at Dollywood. A 30,000-square-foot aviary. It is home to the largest collection of “non-releasable” bald eagles, earning her an award from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Not long after that, the Imagination Library was set up. Then, in 2000, Dolly set up another scholarship. This offered $15,000 to five high school seniors in Sevier County, Tennessee who “have a dream they wish to pursue and who can successfully communicate their plan and commitment to realize their dreams.”
Bring on 2007, and Dollywood raised $500,000 for the local hospital. Then there was a telethon in 2016 for the East Tennessee Wildfires. Later that year, Parton awarded a $30,000 scholarship in celebration of the Imagination Library, which reached 1 million books per month.
Then, in 2020, Dolly donated a million dollars to coronavirus research at Vanderbilt University, which helped fund Moderna’s vaccine.
She’s also helped provide flooding relief in Tennessee, and Dollywood itself funds any employee’s attempts to further their education. She’s donated to pediatric disease research, and, in 2022, even won a Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy — with good reason!
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Migz
Millie Ramm
Millie has been writing since she was a child, and has spent more time with her nose in books than anywhere else. She has been ghostwriting novels and editing for the past few years, and when not working she is curled up with her cats, looking for her next read.
