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.”
In 2000, the Imagination Library took a bold step forward in the campaign to inspire a love of reading and made the program available for national replication. Always leading off with Dolly’s favorite title, “The Little Engine That Could,” this millennial expansion was the start of delivering this popular favorite as well as more quality books into the homes of many more children.
The Dollywood Foundation was focused on the further development of this program and promoting it throughout the entire country. Sponsors and community champions began to emerge across the country to finance the cost of the books and the mailing expense. Locally managed and designed to reflect the unique personality of the community, each operating Affiliate is responsible for the program’s longevity.
Throughout the year, negotiations continued with publishers to improve the quality of the individual titles while maintaining if not lowering, the cost. Combining Affiliate strategies and ongoing analytics brought more attention to early human growth, through studies on brain research, language skills, motor development, socialization or literacy skills, confirming that the years between birth and five are the most critical time in the development of a child.
Inspired by her humble beginnings and her big childhood dreams, Dolly created the Imagination Library to instill a love of reading and learning in the children within her community. The book gifting program sends a free, age-appropriate book to registered children every month from birth to age five. Dolly wanted to get kids excited about books and feel the magic books create. Reflecting on her vision, Dolly said,
"My dream has been for every child to have a library of books that their parents can read to them from, from the time they are born until they start school. The Imagination Library was designed to help children Dream More, Learn More, Care More, Be More and by golly it's really working."
The program was made available to all children in Sevier County, TN under age five. Each child received the same introductory book, which happens to be Dolly's favorite children's story, "The Little Engine That Could," by Watty Piper. From birth to age five, children receive a 60-book library completely free and delivered right to their mailbox, with their name on the label.
The Imagination Library's first book order totaled 1,760 books mailed to the children of Sevier County, TN.
The program launched in 1991 as an effort to decrease the dropout rate in Sevier County. In the early 1990s, there was a dropout problem in Sevier County schools. Over 30% of all students never graduated a decision which not only crippled their own lives but made it increasingly difficult for Sevier County to prosper.
Research conducted by The Dollywood Foundation identified seventh and eighth grades as the two key years when children made conscious decisions about finishing school. The Dollywood Foundation started exploring ways to address this problem. After a few months of discussion, Dolly proposed the Buddy Program.
In 1991, seventh and eighth grade students were invited to a special assembly in the newly built Dolly Parton Celebrity Theatre at Dollywood. A very special guest would lead the assembly, none other than Dolly Parton herself. Dolly told the students that day she wanted each of them to choose a Buddy and if they didn’t have a Buddy she would find one for them. She went on make a very special announcement: she offered to personally give $500 to each and every student in the seventh and eighth grades if they graduated from high school. However, there was one additional requirement: each student’s Buddy must graduate as well and they had to sign a contract to pledge to do everything they could to make sure both graduated.
The program was a great success and ultimately the dropout rate for those classes plummeted to 6%. More importantly, it served as a catalyst for the community to rally around a number of initiatives to keep children in school. These children are now the new generation of leaders in Sevier County and all proudly recall that special moment when they graduated from high school and Dolly Parton handed them a check for $500!
