Dolly Parton passed away Tuesday at the age of 80. Dolly Parton became one of the country’s most philanthropic, unifying and beloved stars. Her impact was felt internationally as well as locally through her Imagination Library Program, amongst others. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income. In a 2019 interview with Today Dolly Parton said she’d rather be remembered as the book lady because quote: “There’s nothing more important than our little kids, to make an impression on them when they’re young and to teach them the right things early on.” According to the Imagination Library’s website, 45,847 kids in Wisconsin, 32,345 kids in Iowa, and 114,294 kids in Illinois are currently enrolled in the program. Local programs that offer the Imagination Library include the Benton School District, Highland School District, United Way of Northwest Illinois, and the Great River United Way.
According to a 2014 Telegraph Herald, 1,400 students in Dubuque were signed up for the program when the United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States offered the program. More recently, according to the United Way of Northwest Illinois’ 2025 Impact report, 261,504 kids in Jo Daviess, Carroll, and Stephenson Counties in Illinois have received books through the program. In Wisconsin, according to the Great Rivers United Way 2025 Impact Report, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library sent 5,902 books to 500 children in eight zip codes across Crawford and Grant Counties.
