License plates cost $35 each and are available at County Clerks’ offices. Of the total cost, local Imagination Library affiliates will receive $15.37. The remaining amount will go to the Tennessee Arts Commission and the TN Highway Fund ($15.37) and plate production costs ($4.25).
Thanks to the generosity of Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation (GBBF) which covers half of the monthly cost of books and mailing in Tennessee, each license plate sold will provide funds for one child to receive free books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for one full year! Great news for Tennessee residents who wish to support one of the world’s largest book gifting organizations whose mission is to inspire a love of reading in children across the state and beyond.
[su_vimeo url="https://vimeo.com/202088782"]
Tennessee residents showed an overwhelming support for the new license plate during pre-sales, helping the Imagination Library secure the minimum 1,000 pre-orders in just a few months. Special thanks to everyone who pre-ordered plates to help the organization reach this goal!
The Dream Fund selected the Story Starters project- a collaboration between Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Beanstalk and LuCid at the University of Liverpool to receive £1 Million ($1.2 Million).
The funding announcement was made on 24th January at People’s Postcode Lottery’s annual Charity Gala, held in Edinburgh’s Prestonfield House. The event was a celebration of the £66.3 million awarded to charities in 2016 thanks to players of the charity lottery.
Ambassador Jeff Brazier and Managing Director/Head of Marketing for People’s Postcode Lottery UK, Lorna Menzies presented the check to the Regional Director of the Imagination Library UK- Kirsteen Watson, CEO of Beanstalk- Ginny Lunn, and Deputy Director of LuCiD- Professor Julian Pine.
The funding will result in the recruitment and training of 600 Story Starter volunteers to give one-to-one support, with high-quality books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, to 1,800 children between 3 and 5 years old, creating an innovative approach to learning. LuCid will carry out expert education evaluation. If successful, the programme will be rolled out to 15,000 children over the next 5 years. Dolly Parton said,
"It seems only right that dreamers like us have been acknowledged by the Dream Fund! I am so grateful for their confidence in our partnership and I promise we will do everything in our power to make sure our children's
dreams do come true."
The Dollywood Foundation UK was one of several organizations who were recognized by the Dream Fund whose offerings totaled £2.5 million in 2017. Charitable organizations in Great Britain (Scotland, England or Wales) were eligible to apply. According to the Dream Fund website applicants are encouraged to be “innovative, creative and original, and present projects that are a genuine ‘dream’.” Previous winners have included Building Our Dreams, Edible Playgrounds and Energy Gardens.
With thanks to North Lincolnshire Council & East Coast Pictures for some of the footage in this film.
Each month, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library sends over one million free books to registered children living in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the UK alone, there are over 90 local champions who help make this dream possible. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Imagination Library’s launch in the United Kingdom.
Special thanks to Beanstalk and LuCiD for partnering with the Imagination Library in this effort. Also, thank you to People's Postcode Lottery.
Beanstalk is a national charity that provides one-to-one literacy support to children who struggle with their reading ability and confidence.
The ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD) is a five-year research collaboration working with partners from across the world to transform our understanding of how children learn to communicate with language.
Dolly Parton joins her fellow country music artists who are lending their star power to raise money for their favorite charities this Christmas season at Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland Resort. This year, Dolly's tree features ornaments and decorations inspired by her new holiday special, "Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love" airing on NBC on Nov. 30 at 9 p.m. EST.
The online auction opened Nov. 11. The highest bidder of the Dolly Parton sponsored tree will receive the decorations along with a host of prizes including:
Dolly's tree has an estimated value of $2,000. Each tree's decorations and accompanying prizes are up for grabs in the online auction. Bidding opened for Dolly's tree on Nov. 11, 2016, and ends Jan. 1, 2017 at 11 a.m. CST. Other trees include those sponsored by Loretta Lynn, Diamond Rio and the Nashville Ballet.
Parade of Trees is part of A Country Christmas at Gaylord Opryland. This free, self-guided tour features 14 spectacularly decorated trees throughout the resort's nine acres of indoor gardens.
Proceeds from Dolly's tree will benefit the Imagination Library, Dolly's book gifting organization which has mailed more than 85 million free books to children around the world since it began in 1996.
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.
