FILE - Dolly Parton performs in Overland Park, Kan., on Aug. 14, 2023.
Charlie Riedel / AP
Many Oregonians will look at Dolly Parton’s song “Eugene Oregon” as her biggest contribution to the state in the days following her death. But it’s her commitment to literacy that has shipped millions of books to kids across Oregon.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library launched in 1995 in her home county in east Tennessee. Inspired by her own father’s inability to read and write, the program delivers age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes at no cost to their families once a month.
Operating in some capacity in all 50 states, a research study conducted by United Way Australia found that children enrolled in the Imagination Library in the United States were five times more likely to be interested in reading compared to children not in the program.
If a caregiver signs up their child when they’re born, they will receive 60 books through the Imagination Library by the time they reach kindergarten.
In Oregon, nearly 4.5 million books have been delivered to children since 2007, Laurie McNichols, state director of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Oregon, reports. More than 77,000 Oregon children are currently enrolled in the program — equaling 36% of children in the state under the age of 5.
Related: Dolly Parton, music star, actor and beloved figure who spanned generations, dies at 80
The Early Learning Hub has partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to provide books to children across Oregon. For families living in some of the more rural parts of the state, it can be the only reliable source of books nearby.
“We really see this as a way of leveling the playing field and making early literacy more of a birthright than a luxury for families who aren’t going to be as close to, say, a public library,” Mary Dailey, program coordinator for Imagination Library in Central Oregon, said.
The Early Learning Hub of Central Oregon supports Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson counties along with the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs. The organization, through the help of sponsors, connects and coordinates early childhood care, health and education services for young children and their families.
“We serve a lot of rural communities out here,” Dailey said. “This is one of the best ways for children and their families to get access to these books.”
When asked about Parton’s death, Dailey reminisced about her impact on Oregon.
“She is a person that I aspire to be even a fraction of,” Dailey said. “And we’re just so grateful that she wanted to do this, and that she brought local programs like this on board to be a part of it too.”
In Portland, the Morrison Bridge will be lit pink in Parton’s honor for five nights starting Wednesday, and Gov. Tina Kotek has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff statewide.
The Dollywood Foundation said it has prepared carefully for the future and will continue to carry Dolly’s mission to provide children with books at no cost.
“Dolly’s legacy was never meant to be something we simply preserve or look back upon,” Jeff Conyers, president of The Dollywood Foundation said. “She built things that could keep doing good in the world. Our responsibility now is to care for what she entrusted to us, help it grow thoughtfully and make certain the love at the heart of her work continues reaching children, families and communities long into the future.”
