The Dollywood Foundation Announces “Give Like Dolly Day” on September 25th
Give Like Dolly Day honors Dolly’s lifelong commitment to children and her Imagination Library
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. – The Dollywood Foundation, home of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, today announced Give Like Dolly Day on September 25, a global day dedicated to supporting local Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Programs and honoring Dolly’s extraordinary legacy of inspiring children to dream big and develop a lifelong love of reading. As Dolly often said, “If you can read, you can do anything, dream anything and be anything.”
At the heart of Give Like Dolly Day are the thousands of Local Imagination Library Partners around the world who help carry Dolly’s mission forward in their own communities. The Clayton County Foundation for the Future administers the Clayton County Imagination Library for children living in communities served by Clayton County school districts.
Dolly often called these local Imagination Library Partners the “true heroes” of her program. They raise funds, build community support and work tirelessly to ensure children from birth to age five in their communities can receive a free, high-quality book mailed directly to their home each month.
Give Like Dolly Day will shine a spotlight on these local Imagination Library Partners and encourage communities to rally around them and other organizations helping children where they live.
“For Dolly, giving was always personal and from her heart,” said Jeff Conyers, President of The Dollywood Foundation. “She believed deeply in helping people, especially children, and she always felt if you are in a position to help, you should help. Give Like Dolly Day is an opportunity for people everywhere to not only support their local Imagination Library Partners but also other local nonprofits helping children.”
Dolly founded the Imagination Library in 1995 in honor of her father, who could not read or write. What began in her home county in East Tennessee has grown into the largest, early childhood book-gifting program in the world, serving children and families through these local partnerships in five countries: U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland.
The program is made possible through the continued support of Dolly’s Estate and The Dollywood Foundation, which invest in the partnerships, resources and systems that empower thousands of Local Program Partners. These local partners build awareness and provide the funding needed to cover the wholesale cost of the books and mailing for children in their communities. Together, this unique partnership helps place books into the homes—and hearts—of millions of children around the world.
With support from local donors and grant funding, the Clayton County Imagination Library has provided more than 20,000 books to local children, and currently, more than 520 children under the age of five are receiving high-quality, age-appropriate books in the mail monthly at no cost to families.
Today, nearly 1,000 Clayton County children have received books because of individual contributions and grants from area funders. Each of these children has had extra opportunities to build literacy skills and connection with a caregiver that will last a lifetime. Every book is an investment in children's development, family relationships, and in the long-term success of Clayton County communities.
On Give Like Dolly Day, the public is encouraged to:
Give directly to their local Imagination Library Partner to help more children in their community receive books. Give online at dbqfoundation.org/giving-center/clayton-county-early-literacy-endowmentor by mailing a check to the Clayton County Early Literacy Endowment at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, 700 Locust St., Suite 195, Dubuque, IA 52001.
Help bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to their community if a local program is not currently available.
Share how they Give Like Dolly and encourage others to support children in their own communities using #GiveLikeDolly.
Visit ImaginationLibrary.com to find the Imagination Library program serving your community by selecting “Check Availability” and entering your ZIP code to register your child.
For communities without an Imagination Library program, Dolly’s Foundation encourages the public to explore how they can help start a program in their area — or support another local nonprofit organization doing meaningful work for children.
Give Like Dolly Day will be celebrated annually on September 25 - a new tradition honoring the way she lived her life: inspiring children to dream more, learn more, care more and be more. ™
About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Launched in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is the world’s leading early childhood book-gifting program and the flagship initiative of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since its founding, the program has gifted more than 300 million free books to children across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland.
Each month, the Imagination Library mails over 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes. Every enrolled child receives one book per month from birth to age five, at no cost to families.
Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly created the Imagination Library in her hometown of Sevier County, Tennessee, to inspire a love of reading from the earliest years. In true Dolly fashion, she soon shared that dream with other communities that wanted to give their children the same opportunity to Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More.
The Imagination Library’s impact has been widely studied, with research consistently showing positive effects on early childhood development, kindergarten readiness, and family reading habits.
For more information, visit imaginationlibrary.com.
