Featured photo courtesy of Mary Alice Lovelace
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which began as a small community outreach in her native Sevier County, Tennessee, has evolved to become the largest literacy program in the world. In December, the "little literacy program that could" marks another impressive milestone—one million books gifted to children around the world each month.
To celebrate the unprecedented success, Evey Johns, a two-year-old from Conway, Arkansas who just enrolled in the Imagination Library, has been randomly selected to receive a $30,000 college scholarship. The announcement was made by Parton during her Pure & Simple concert tour stop in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee on Nov. 15. Proceeds from the concert totaled $500,000 and will benefit the Imagination Library.
Inspired by Dolly’s father, the program's very first mailing of free books topped just over 1,600. In 2016 alone, the Imagination Library has mailed over 11.5 million books and more than 85 million since inception. Dolly wanted to bookmark the event with a unique gift. She said,
"I thought long and hard about the best way to honor our achievement of reaching 1,000,000 children a month. The Imagination Library is all about inspiring dreams so what better way to pay tribute to this moment than by helping one special child pursue their college degree. So I am thrilled that today I can let the world know that precious, little Evey Johns of Conway, AR will receive a $30,000 scholarship for the college of her choice."
The scholarship will be held in a special account and distributed to Evey when she enrolls in college. Over the next 16 years, the amount of scholarship should grow to approximately $50,000.
"The thought of our daughter Evey going to college has been just that—a thought,” explained Evey’s mother, Connie. “Now, due to the enormous kindness and generosity of the Dollywood Foundation, that thought has now become a reality. Our family now has the means to develop a solid plan for our daughter’s future education. Thank you all so much for this unbelievable opportunity for our daughter."
Evey is enrolled in the Imagination Library in Conway, AR. The local affiliate in her area, Arkansas Preschool Plus partners with the Dollywood Foundation to provide the Imagination Library to 960 children in the three-county area around Conway. Currently, 14,865 children (about 7.6% of the 195,000 who are eligible) are enrolled in the program. Of the 75 counties in the state, 50 are participating in the Imagination Library. Five additional counties are currently working to get the program started.
Arkansas Preschool Plus is an affiliate partner for Conway, Faulkner and Perry Counties. About 960 children are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library through Arkansas Preschool Plan. Over 14,800 children are registered and receive books within the state of Arkansas. An Advisory Committee of leaders from across Arkansas is currently working with State elected officials, foundations and corporations on an effort to make the Imagination Library available to every child from birth up to age five in the state.
Founded in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting organization that has, to date, mailed more than 85 million books to children in Australia, Belize, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States. Each month, the program currently mails more than one million specially selected, high-quality, age-appropriate books to registered children from birth until they start Kindergarten in participating communities. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading in children, preparing them for school and inspiring them to dream. Recent studies suggest participation in the Imagination Library is positively and significantly associated with higher measures of early language and math development. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
All proceeds from Dolly's Pure & Simple concert at the LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, TN on Nov. 15 benefited her Imagination Library.
See more Pure & Simple Tour Dates
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library reached a historic milestone. As of October 2016, one million children are set to receive one free book every month! Dolly celebrated the "One Million A Month" achievement at her sold-out concert in Pigeon Forge, TN on Nov. 15.
Several award-winning authors and illustrators, whose books appear in the program, congratulated Dolly and the organization with special videos.
This award-winning author/illustrator has contributed his talents to nearly 250 books in his 40-year career. He discovered his love of storytelling at a young age and vowed to dedicate his life to creating beautiful books for children. His many accolades include the Smithson Medal from the Smithsonian Institution.
Newbery Medal winner, Matt de la Peña is an advocate for diversity within children's picture books. He authored several books for Young Readers before discovering his passion for children's books after becoming a father.
Jacky Davis & David Soman are the creators of the beloved "Ladybug Girl" book series. This creative couple enjoys sharing a love of reading with their children, Lucy and Sam, who together inspired Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy.
*Matt de la Peña's "Last Stop on Market Street" is illustrated by Christian Robinson.
NBC's annual "Christmas In Rockefeller Center" will air on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 8-9 p.m. followed by the world premiere of "Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love" at 9 p.m. EST.
"Christmas In Rockefeller Center" is a star-studded musical telecast which welcomes the holiday season. Those set to perform include Dolly Parton, Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Josh Groban, Tori Kelly, Sarah McLachlan, Jordan Smith, Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood, the Radio City Rockettes and more.
NBC’s "Today" anchors Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Hoda Kotb will host the broadcast from New York City’s Rockefeller Center. The event will also celebrate the lighting of the world’s most famous Christmas tree. The 84th annual tree lighting will feature a 94-foot tall, 56-foot wide Norway spruce from Oneonta, N.Y. It is approximately 90 years old, weighs approximately 14 tons, and will be decorated with more than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights.
Prior to the primetime telecast, an additional live hour of the special will be broadcast on select NBC stations (7-8 p.m. EST). Check local listings.
"Christmas In Rockefeller Center" will be followed by the world premiere of "Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love." In this all-new special Dolly’s story continues in a heartwarming tale drawn straight from her inspiring childhood memories and music.
For the eighth consecutive year, "Green Is Universal" — NBCUniversal’s sustainability initiative in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation — will kick off its annual tree-planting campaign during the "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" broadcast. This year viewers can "Share a Tree" to a national forest, by using #ShareATree or visiting GreenIsUniversal.com to create and share an animated holiday story. Each action will contribute to the Arbor Day Foundation’s tree-planting efforts, funded by a $25,000 donation from NBCUniversal.
Dollywood becomes Hollywood on Tuesday, Nov. 22, complete with red carpet arrivals, media interviews and special viewing areas for guests, as Dolly Parton has invited the cast from her new NBC movie, "Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love," to visit the park for the worldwide premiere.
Dollywood adds another operating day to its 2016 calendar to allow park guests the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see behind-the-scenes of a real Hollywood premiere. Dollywood opens from 2-9 p.m. on this special day, providing a sneak peek at the festivities which include red carpet arrivals and more!
The premiere event begins at 5 p.m. with red carpet arrivals following. Dolly and cast of the new film will make their way down the red carpet along Dollywood’s Showstreet as media from across the country cover the action.
The Coca-Cola Refresh Team brings the Coca-Cola Polar Bear to make photos for guests in attendance. Coca-Cola also offers special holiday beverage samplings during the event.
Guests at the premiere also can enjoy Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana, the nine-time award winner for Best Christmas Event. Two new holiday shows and four million dazzling Christmas lights combine with the park’s award-winning rides, delectable holiday dishes and heart-warming Christmas atmosphere for a delightful yuletide experience.
Smoky Mountain Christmas guests can upgrade a paid one-day admission ticket to a regular 2017 season pass for as low as $27 (plus tax when buying four or more).
Visit Dollywood.com or call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD for more information, including operating days and hours, daily show schedule and more helpful tips to help plan a visit.
Coming off a record year which featured the best new attraction of 2016, Lightning Rod, as well as the successful first anniversary of Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort, The Dollywood Company continues to provide more unique experiences at each of its family-friendly properties.
Two new family rides debut this summer at Dollywood providing thrilling new adventures for guests. The first is Drop Line, a 200-foot tall free-fall experience that towers over Timber Canyon and provides an incredible view of the park before its exhilarating finish. The drop tower ride lifts Dollywood guests nearly 20 stories above the Canyon’s pool, before plummeting them back to the ground in a thrilling rush. Also new is Whistle Punk Chaser, a junior coaster which throws exciting twists and turns at Dollywood’s younger loggers, helping prepare them for the day they can join their parents aboard the award-winning Thunderhead wooden coaster. Dolly said,
“As everybody already knows, family is very important to me. These days, there doesn’t seem to be enough time for families to be together, whether you’re a just a couple like me and Carl or you have 12 kids like my family did growing up. That’s why we continue to add all these new rides and shows for families to experience together."
Dolly continued,
“We have something for everyone, but even more important, we have something for you AND your family. We’re adding so much this year; I’m calling 2017 ‘the year of the family!’”
In addition to the new attractions, families have two engaging new events to experience 2017. Just in time for families enjoying spring break, the park will introduce enra, a Tokyo-based dance company featured on "America’s Got Talent" in 2015. The group wowed audiences with their high-energy multi-media dance, light and video fusion show. Interactive video and lights combine with the talented performers to create a unique, cutting-edge experience for guests.
In October, Dollywood’s Harvest Festival adds the spectacular GREAT! Pumpkin LumiNights event. This nighttime event immerses families in fabulous fall pumpkin illumination. Additionally, a new pumpkin trail comes to life after dark with a number of spectacular pumpkin displays glowing with the fire of fall. The festival also includes the Southern Gospel Jubilee which brings in the greatest Southern gospel talent around. Gene Scherrer, Dollywood Vice-President and General Manager said.
“We are really excited about adding the GREAT! Pumpkin LumiNights to our Harvest event. We’ve created a number of impressive displays that will light up the night and allow us to add some new experiences for families to enjoy the fun of fall in a uniquely Dollywood way.”
The company also recently announced the addition of TailSpin Racer, a multi-lane, mat-racer-style slide to Dollywood’s Splash Country for 2017. The parks’ 2017 additions are all part of the $300 million investment in Dollywood which Dolly announced in 2013.
