Dolly Parton leaves behind a lasting legacy of inspiring a joy of reading and helping underprivileged children with her book-gifting scheme, Imagination Library, for more than 30 years.
Following her death on 25 August at the age of 80, a 'tender' letter penned by the country star to her Imagination Library graduates has resurfaced, revealing the star's personal wish for the many young readers she helped.
The note, which appears in the final book the graduates receive when they turn five, was revisited on X (formerly Twitter) by a writer for the Washington Post after news of Dolly's passing. "It seems it was only yesterday when your family and friends read you your first story. You were just a baby. Now you’re 5 years old and about to go to school. How exciting!" Dolly's heartfelt message read.
© Getty Images"This may be your last book from my Imagination Library, but you have to promise me you will keep on reading. If you go to your local public library, you will find a great number of books just for kids your age."
She continued: "Every book is a treasure and every time you open one up you will meet new friends and take wonderful journeys to magical places. I hope you have a great time in school. I bet your school will even have a library where you can check out books."
"You and all of your friends are very special. There is no limit to what you can do or how far you can go," she encouraged her readers.
"Just remember the lessons my family taught me – dream big dreams; learn everything you can learn; and care for all those who care for you. You do all of these things and you can be anyone you want to be."
"You are terrific, and remember...I will always love you," the country music legend signed off.
Fans praised the letter in the comments as "beautiful" and remembered Dolly as a "very special person".
"There’s something unbearably tender about a goodbye tucked into the last book, as if the library has been quietly growing up alongside her," one person remarked.
Dolly's charitable legacy
© WireImageThe singer spoke to HELLO! in 2024 in Nashville about her Imagination Library, which she created in 1995, to expand reading and literacy across the United States, as well as Canada, Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Through her program, hundreds of millions of books have been donated.
"They receive the books until they start school," she explained. "I have little kids coming up to me saying: 'Thank you for the books; can we get some more?' The ones who are getting them thank me for them, and that just melts my heart," Dolly told us.
The singer started the initiative to honour her late father, Robert Lee. "My daddy couldn't read or write. That bothered him and it troubled me that he was troubled by it. That's where I got the idea to start the Imagination Library in our little home county, and then it grew and grew, and now it's all over the world," she explained to us.
Speaking passionately about her charitable work, Dolly said: "I just think people need to be better to each other."
"I cannot get it into my head and through my heart why people can't be nicer and better to one another."
