08/28/2026
✍️A message from our CEO honoring the life and legacy of Dolly Parton!
Dolly was certainly a Tennessee icon, an incredible entertainer, and one of the most recognizable people in the world. But I don't think that is why so many Tennesseans loved her. We loved her because no matter how famous she became, she never seemed to forget who she was, where she came from, or the people she left behind in the mountains of East Tennessee. Dolly knew poverty because she lived it. She grew up as one of 12 children in a family that didn't have much. She could have left those mountains behind and never looked back. Instead, she spent much of the rest of her life reaching back.
She didn't just talk about poverty. She did something about it. Long before the Imagination Library became known around the world, Dolly was investing in education and opportunity in Sevier County. When too many young people were dropping out of school, she created a program that helped encourage students to graduate. She provided scholarships so young people could continue their education. When wildfires devastated her home community in 2016, she created the My People Fund, which ultimately provided more than $12 million directly to families who had lost their homes.
She understood something that those of us in Community Action understand very well: sometimes people don't need to be rescued. They need an opportunity. They need someone willing to invest in them. And sometimes they simply need a hand up when life knocks them down.
There may be no better example of that philosophy than the Imagination Library. What started in 1995 as Dolly's dream of putting books into the hands of children in her home county grew into something almost unimaginable. By the end of last year, the Imagination Library had given more than 304 million books to children around the world.
In many ways, Dolly's life reflected something we believe deeply at MCCAA: 'Where someone starts in life should never determine where they can go." Those of us who have chosen Community Action as our life's work know that poverty does not define a person. We see every day the talent, potential, dreams, and determination that exist in the families we serve. Dolly saw it too. She showed us what it means to remember your roots, care about your neighbors, and use whatever gifts you have been given to make life a little better for somebody else.
This week, Tennessee lost one of its greatest daughters. The world lost an extraordinary person. And millions of us lost someone who, even though most of us never knew her personally, somehow felt like she belonged to all of us. She will be missed. But somewhere tomorrow, another little child will open the mailbox and find a book with Dolly's name on it. I can't think of a better legacy than that.
Warmest Regards,
Jason
