08/26/2026
Today, we join so many around the world in remembering Dolly Parton. An extraordinary artist, storyteller, philanthropist, and believer in the potential of every child. ❤️📚
Dolly’s legacy reaches far beyond the music she gave us.
In 1995, inspired by her father, who never had the opportunity to learn to read or write, Dolly founded the Imagination Library. What began as an effort to provide books to young children in her home county in East Tennessee grew into a worldwide literacy movement, putting more than 300 million books into the hands and homes of children.
For Dolly, literacy wasn’t simply about learning to read. It was about giving children the opportunity to dream bigger, learn more, build confidence, and imagine what their lives could become.
Over the years, YMCAs across the country have helped carry that vision into their own communities through partnerships with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library—connecting families with books, encouraging early literacy, and helping children build a strong foundation for their futures.
That mission feels especially close to our hearts at the Y.
We believe in nurturing the potential of every child, supporting families, removing barriers, and strengthening the communities we call home. Dolly spent much of her life doing those very things—with generosity, compassion, humor, humility, and an unwavering belief that when you have the ability to help someone, you should.
The world knew Dolly Parton for her unmistakable voice.
But generations of children will know a world shaped by her generosity, even if they never fully realize whose hands helped place that very first book in theirs.
What an incredible legacy to leave behind.
Thank you, Dolly, for reminding us just how much good one person can put into the world. 📚❤️
May the stories keep being read, the dreams keep getting bigger, and the kindness keep being passed along.
