Dolly and her not-for-profit Dollywood Foundation present the Chasing Rainbows Award annually to a teacher who has overcome adversity. Dolly was the first recipient in 2002. The award is given under the banner of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY), a not-for-profit organization that seeks to improve student learning across the nation by defining, sharing and advocating for effective teaching practices and policies. Dolly’s Imagination Library is an official partner organization of the NNSTOY.
Edna Rogers, Director of the Dolly Parton Chasing Rainbows Award, also was the person who honored Dolly with the award in 2002,
“Dolly has overcome many obstacles in her life and is making a difference in the lives of children... Now Dolly, in turn, gives this award personally every year to a teacher who has overcome obstacles in his/her life and is making a difference in the lives of children.”
Each winner spends a week as Dolly’s guest at her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, TN, and his/her name is inscribed on a plaque inside her Chasing Rainbows Museum at the park. NNSTOY selects the annual recipient.
Dolly was honored on Feb. 15, 2002, with the Galaxy Award, the highest honor offered by the American Association of School Administrators at its annual convention. At the event, Dolly sang "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You." The award recognizes Dolly’s work in support of raising awareness for early childhood literacy through her Imagination Library.
In her acceptance speech, Dolly mentioned the things that inspired her to get involved,
"My mother only got an eighth-grade education but she could read and write...My father couldn't do either, and I've often wondered how that affected his dreams. I've always been blessed with big dreams. The Imagination Library was one way that I could give back. I could help children chase their dreams."
In November 2001, Good Housekeeping magazine awarded its Seal of Approval to Dolly for her work with her Imagination Library program, marking the first time the distinction was given to a person.
Dolly, in typical good humor, responded that her husband Carl “doesn't know why they gave her the seal since she never does any (housekeeping).”
The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval dates back to 1905 when the magazine started testing products and accepting advertising from those that “met its approval.” Dolly’s Imagination Library provides communities the opportunity to ensure its pre-school-aged children receive age-appropriate books on a monthly basis to encourage reading.
In 2001, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library saw program expansion with 27 affiliates operating in 11 states across the nation. Local sponsors around the country came forward to support the program's expansion, including Spartanburg, Sioux Falls and Sioux City, which seeded the program within their United Way organizations. These new communities mailed books to almost 30,000 children under the age of five, proving that dreams really do come true.
National Networks such as Parents as Teachers, Public Libraries and school systems were also extremely active in promoting the program's epxnasion for immediate exposure as well as future endeavors. Further financial support came from the Annie E. Casey Foundation that provided a significant grant to help The Dollywood Foundation design a research project to assess the impact of the program on families and their participating communities.
On March 22, 2000, Dolly was recognized for her work with her Imagination Library with the Association of American Publishers (AAP) Honors Award. Dolly was the third recipient of the award which was established in 1997.
The AAP President said,
"This is a woman who is really making a difference. The same love that makes her such an extraordinary performer is transforming the lives of kids in Tennessee, opening up a world of books for them. Soon pre-schoolers all over the country will have a chance to build their own 'Imagination Library.' What a gift!"
The award was presented to Dolly by Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. The award is intended to "acknowledge the contributions of individuals and organizations who have helped focus attention on American books." Dolly was specifically honored for her efforts to improve the lives of children through books.”
In her acceptance speech, Dolly mentioned how her experiences reinforced the importance of education and motivated her to start the Imagination Library,
“But all the things I ever dreamed of I never believed that I'd be in front of a distinguished group of people like you accepting an award like this. And it's a long way, truly, from the Smoky Mountains to what I call the top of the world, and bein' able to be in the presence of great people like this for a very worthy cause like the education program that we have back in Sevier County [Tennessee] means a great deal to me... As a matter of fact one of the reasons that I decided to get involved with the education and with the kids was because a lot of my family were not able to read and write.”
