Dolly Parton's Imagination Library made lasting impact on Massachusetts family
The news of Dolly Parton's death sent shockwaves around the world. Millions knew Parton for her music, movies and television appearances, but her philanthropic efforts reached just as many people, including some from Greater Boston.
The McLanahan family is known to have a good book in their hands. It was Beatrice, 12, who started reading to her younger sister Freja, 9, during the thick of the COVID pandemic. The sisters were sent one book a month to their Gloucester from a very famous artist.
"We were all in the house all the time [during the pandemic.] And it was rough," their mother, Sarah, said. "They would grab the book, run to the couch to read it together."
Sarah signed Freja, age three at the time, up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. One of the late singer's marquis philanthropic initiatives. The non-profit mails one book a month to a child from the day they are born until they turn five.
The only qualification is that you live in a city or town that partners with the organization. The McLanahans signed up for the free program through Pathways for Children. The child development center brought the Imagination Library to the communities they serve in Cape Ann and the North Shore in 2021. More than 3,000 families have taken part in it so far.
Eric Mitchell is the CEO of Pathways for Children.
"They start with The Little Engine that Could, and they end with Lookout Kindergarten, Here I Come," Mitchell said. "They can have a library of 60 books by the time they go to kindergarten, and they are not the only one. We are fortunate that Dolly took it upon herself to start this from her personal experience, and it has expanded across the world and continues to have impact."
Parton started the Imagination Library at the hospital in her hometown in east Tennessee. It was a way to honor her father who couldn't read or write. More than 30 years later, the organization reports mailing out more than 200 million books to children around the world.
In 2018, Parton was honored by the Library of Congress for her organization's work. She said at the time, "It made me feel good in my heart that I could do something to make Daddy proud. The bigger it gets the more I think about my dad and to think, he must be up there somewhere thinking, 'You go. You did it.'"
The program had a big impact on the McLanahan family.
"They're constantly surrounded by books, and the Dolly Parton books are a big part of that," Sarah said.
Mitchell said that's why Parton won't soon be forgotten.
"Her physical loss is felt. But her impact continues to live," he said.
Tuesday night in Massachusetts, MassDOT said it is honoring Parton by illuminating five bridges. The Zakim and Longfellow Bridge in Boston, Burns Bridge in Worcester, Fore River Bridge in Weymouth, and Braga Bridge in Fall River were lit up pink to honor the entertainment legend.
