One of the long-lasting tributes left by Dolly Parton will be her creation of Imagination Library branches across the world, including here in the Upper Cumberland.
Jackson County Chairman John Deane said the organization has successfully increased local enrollment from 39 percent of eligible children to over 80 percent in recent years. Deane said the program operates through a unique partnership where the state of Tennessee covers half of the book costs while local communities raise the remaining funds to deliver monthly books to children from birth to age five.
“I would just tell her I love her,” Deane said, “And I’m so grateful for her leadership in this program and for the genius in the design to get the local communities involved.”
Deane said the program was inspired by Parton’s father and his inability to read or write. Deane said his own personal experience of not learning to read until the third grade and having to repeat that grade gives him a strong sense of confidence in how vital literacy is to success.
“She had an amazing ability to appeal to everyone,” Deane said. “I mean, she is a national treasure and I know that she’s getting up in years and that she’s been sick of late, but it still hurts to see her passing because she’s had such a profound impact on the lives of so many and she’s had no negative impact that I can detect.”
Deane said the program is highly effective because children enjoy seeing their own names on the mailing labels of books addressed directly to them. Deane said the organization is currently working to develop follow-on programs to maintain that enthusiasm for reading once children reach the age limit and books stop arriving.
“I’ll be out there chasing strollers at festivals throughout the county and when I tell people that I represent the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Jackson County, they light up,” Deane said. “I mean, it’s such a joy to work on recruiting kids to join the program and their parents and their grandparents because the program has the reputation of being of Dolly, which is hugely valuable.”
Deane said the Imagination Library has grown from a small East Tennessee effort to a global program sending nearly 3.5 million books a month. Deane said Parton’s ability to leverage her entrepreneurial spirit into philanthropy serves as an example for others.
“She’s just such a remarkable woman, a remarkable personality, and she was an entrepreneur who leveraged her entrepreneurial spirit in philanthropy to do good in the world, and we can all take that as an example,” Deane said.
Deane said the current challenge for the Jackson County chapter is reaching the final 20 percent of eligible children who are not yet enrolled.
