Dolly Parton's legacy lives on in the books mailed to thousands of Colorado children
For generations of fans, Dolly Parton was the voice behind some of country music's most recognizable songs. But, for thousands of Colorado children, her name arrived in a very different place — their mailbox.
Parton, the music icon, actress and philanthropist, died Tuesday at 80 years old after a brief battle with cancer, her publicist said.
Her impact stretches far beyond music, including into homes and classrooms across Colorado through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, the book-gifting program she founded in 1995.
The program mails an age-appropriate book every month to enrolled children from birth until age 5, regardless of a family's income. Democratic state Sen. Jeff Bridges and former Republican state Sen. Jack Tate helped bring Parton's Imagination Library to all Colorado kids in 2021.
"There are few things that cost as little and do more than Dolly Parton's Imagination Library," Bridges told CBS Colorado.
In Aurora, Danielle Lammon has helped turn Parton's idea into hundreds of thousands of books in children's hands. Lammon is the founder and program director of Imagination Library Aurora and serves on the state board for Imagination Library Colorado.
"Dolly Parton's Imagination Library was created by Dolly Parton in 1995, and it was to gift books to children so that they can learn how to read and be ready for kindergarten," Lammon told CBS Colorado.
Parton often spoke about how her father could not read or write, and how that experience inspired her commitment to childhood literacy.
"She created the program to provide books for families and kids to just bring books into their home," Lammon said. "It didn't matter what their socioeconomics was at home. It was just about literacy."
Colorado's statewide Imagination Library effort began five years ago, with state funding helping local affiliates cover the cost of providing books. The Imagination Library picks the books and mails them, while the state and nonprofits in Colorado split the cost — totaling about $1.6 million a year.
Studies show the program also improves kindergarten readiness and third grade literacy.
"Early literacy is so important for everything that happens downstream, future learning, future success," said Tate, who is now CEO of Colorado's Imagination Library program. It's doled out 3.5 million books in five years.
Lammon oversees the program serving Aurora and Arapahoe County. She said more than 30,000 children in Aurora are eligible for the program, with more than 6,600 currently enrolled.
While the books are free to families, getting them into mailboxes is not. Lammon said local affiliates are responsible for part of the program's cost and rely heavily on donations.
"For each child to receive that book, it's about $2.40 a month per book per child that a local affiliate is paying for," she said. "We have over 6,600 kids currently enrolled in the city of Aurora, which means my book bill is roughly $7,000 a month."
That makes fundraising an ongoing responsibility. Lammon said surveys of participating families show roughly a quarter of respondents report that the Imagination Library books are the only books they have at home.
"To have actual books in their home that is their own true library that that child owns, and it comes directly to them," Lammon said.
Seven-year-old Remy knows the feeling of seeing those books arrive. His grandmother, Lammon, said he was among the children who received books from Dolly's program.
Families in Colorado can also choose bilingual English-Spanish books. Lammon said more than 107,000 bilingual books have been distributed in the state.
And their shelf life often does not end when a child ages out of the program. Lammon said families pass the books down to younger siblings and relatives, while others find their way into child development centers and classrooms.
"A lot of teachers do not have enough funding to bring books into their classroom," she said. "So, a lot of our books, I donate books back out to our teachers as well."
More than 3.5 million Imagination Library books have been sent to Colorado children since the statewide program began in 2021. In Aurora, Lammon estimates about 200,000 books have been distributed.
"Senator Bridges and I are really proud to be part of something that's going to be moving Dolly's legacy forward, affecting generations to come," said Tate, who originally is from Parton's home state of Tennessee.
Bridges says Parton used her stardom to put good in the world.
"Dolly has track record from day one of not just saying, 'What can I do to be more famous?' But, 'What can I do to improve the world because of this fame and through this fame?'"
Lammon says said one way to honor Parton is to continue supporting the programs she built. Donation information is available on the Imagination Library Colorado website.
"Twenty-five dollars a year pays for an entire year for a child to receive a free book," Lammon said. "Someone can make a small donation, and it goes directly into the community that you live and you serve."
