Dolly Parton Donates 100 Millionth Book To Children's Library
Country singer Dolly Parton has reached a milestone in her charity works as she donated her 100 millionth book to her non-profit organization, Imagination Library.
Founded in 1995, Imagination Library has been mailing quality books to children ages zero to five. Children from the US, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia receive these books. According to its website, Parton was inspired to create this organization because her father could not read or write.
"When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer," the 72-year-old singer wrote on the Imagination Library website.
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Parton shared that she envisioned every child, regardless of financial background, would be able to own books.
"The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world," she added.
The 100th millionth book Parton donated was written by herself, entitled "Coat of Many Colors." It was an adaptation of her 1971 song which the singer has previously described as her favorite. Parton wanted the book to share a lesson about inner beauty.
Parton celebrated this moment with a visit to the Library Of Congress. She shared that she was excited to donate even more books, and she is hoping to reach a billion donations.
Aside from the Imagination Library, Parton has also established The Dollywood Foundation in 1986. The foundation was set to offer scholarships to local high school students. Parton's net profits fund the organization, which also helps bring jobs to people.
Parton also raised money for the victims of the 2016 Tennessee wildfires. She managed to provide $1,000 a month to the affected families.
She has also been noted to donate to several other causes like the American Red Cross and charities that help out human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients.
