West Alabama to Celebrate Millionth Book Locally Distributed by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Dolly Parton left an indelible mark on the entertainment world. Yet that pales in comparison to the impact her Imagination Library has made on the lives of countless young children around the world.

Growing up in the East Tennessee hills, she saw the illiteracy around her. Her own father couldn't read. She knew that reading is fundamental to learning. So 31 years ago, as her success brought her not only fame but fortune, the "Coat of Many Colors" singer remembered her humble beginnings and made up her mind to give children an important gift: the gift of learning to read, in her father's honor.

The Imagination Library was born. Since 1995, Parton's Imagination Library has donated over 332 million books to children from a host of countries, with 3.5 million free books mailed out every month. The mission is to help young children build their libraries, with each child receiving a free, age-appropriate book every month until age 5.

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Nowhere does Parton's library play a bigger role in children's lives than in Alabama, where more than 5.4 million books have been delivered since the program launched in 2004. Thirty-six percent of the state's youngsters under the age of 5 are enrolled in the program.

The library is making a critical difference in Alabama's rural Black Belt counties, which cover a significant part of West Alabama. This is the area of the state where severe early-grade reading challenges are among the highest levels because reading habits were not emphasized during the children's developmental years, but that is changing.

"We currently have over 8,700 children in 9 West Alabama counties (Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa) enrolled in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library," said Cheryl Fondren, executive director of the United Way of West Alabama's Success By 6 program.

On Saturday, October 3, between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. the UWWA will host a celebration at the Tuscaloosa Public Library on Jack Warner Parkway to mark major milestone that would no doubt have made Dolly proud: reaching one million books distributed in West Alabama.

"What was already going to be an incredibly special day for West Alabama now means more than we could ever imagine," said Jackie Wuska, president of UWWA. "Dolly believed that something as simple as putting a book in the hands of a child could change that child's life. Here in West Alabama, we have one million reminders that she was right."

The October event will recognize the families, donors, partners, and community supporters who have helped make Dolly Parton's Imagination Library possible throughout the region.

In accordance with wishes shared after Dolly's passing, those wishing to honor her are encouraged to donate to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (https://imaginationlibrary.com/).

Click HERE to enroll a child in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.