SEVIERVILLE, Tenn.: The Dollywood Foundation today joins millions around the world in mourning the passing of its beloved founder, Dolly Parton, and celebrating a remarkable life defined not only by her music and joy but by her profound belief in giving back.
Dolly was many things to millions — an entertainer, songwriter, businesswoman, philanthropist, friend, and inspiration. To those fortunate enough to know and work with her, she was also simply Dolly: warm, witty, thoughtful, generous, and always deeply rooted in her origins and the people she loved.
“Dolly often said she had been blessed far beyond anything she could have imagined,” said Jeff Conyers, President of The Dollywood Foundation. “She believed these blessings carried a responsibility to give something back. That belief is woven into everything we do. While we are heartbroken by her passing, the mission she entrusted to us remains as vital as ever, and we will carry it forward for generations to come.”
Few initiatives exemplify this commitment more vividly than Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Inspired by her father’s struggles with illiteracy, Dolly launched the programme in 1995 with a simple yet powerful idea: to give young children in her home county books of their own and inspire them to dream more, learn more, care more, and become more.
What began in the mountains of East Tennessee has grown far beyond anything Dolly could have imagined. Today, the Imagination Library reaches millions of children and families, delivering carefully selected, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes at no cost to families, fostering opportunities for parents and children to share the joy of reading together.
The Dollywood Foundation has prepared diligently for the future and remains honoured to carry the mission Dolly entrusted to it. The foundation is strong, its purpose is clear, and the values Dolly imbued in the organisation will continue to guide its growth and work for years to come.
“Dolly’s legacy was never meant to be merely something we preserve or reflect upon,” Conyers added. “She built things that can continue to do good in the world. Our responsibility now is to nurture what she entrusted to us, help it grow thoughtfully, and ensure that the love at the heart of her work continues to reach children, families, and communities long into the future.”
Dolly’s extraordinary legacy will live on in countless ways — through her songs, stories, businesses, and the joy she brought to generations worldwide. But a vital part of that legacy will also quietly endure every day in homes and communities around the globe: when a child opens a book especially for them; when a parent and child share a favourite story; and when a young person begins to imagine a future beyond their circumstances.
The Foundation believes that one of the greatest ways to honour Dolly is not merely to remember her achievements but to continue the work she loved — carrying it forward with the same generosity, humility, joy, and love with which she began.-pr/BNN
