Dolly Parton's free-book charity raises over $150,000 after her death

More than 30 years after country music legend Dolly Parton started her childhood reading programme, a wave of public support following her death in August has led to record numbers of new registrations and large donations to the charity's local branch in her home state of Tennessee. A report published on 29 October 2026 by East Tennessee television station WVLT reveals that the Imagination Library chapter in Knox County registered nearly 950 new children in August alone. The record increase in registrations came alongside a fundraising campaign that brought in more than $150,000 (around £115,000) for the local branch. The rise in donations followed a public request from Parton's family. They asked fans to honour her memory by supporting the charity instead of sending flowers.Local fundraising cuts annual targets in halfThe Imagination Library of Knox County depends on donations from the local community to pay for its work. The State of Tennessee matches local donations dollar-for-dollar. The Knox County chapter needs to raise around $288,000 each year to receive the state funding. This brings its total yearly operating budget to nearly $600,000. According to figures reported by WVLT, the fundraising campaign following Parton's death on 25 August raised more than $150,000 in just a few weeks. This covered about half of the local chapter's yearly fundraising target in a single month. The donations included $25,000 given directly between 25 August and 22 September. This amount was enough to provide monthly books to more than 1,500 children for a full year. The annual Seeds of Imagination fundraising luncheon also raised more than $109,000. The money will support nearly 7,000 children. In addition, the first "Give Like Dolly Day" raised another $12,000. Organisers now plan to make the event an annual tradition.Inspired by family and delivered to mailboxesParton first started the Imagination Library 31 years ago, in 1995, to help children in her hometown area of Sevier County, Tennessee. The idea came from her father, Robert Lee Parton. She often described him as one of the smartest people she had ever known, even though he could not read or write. Under the programme, every registered child receives one free book each month. The books are chosen according to the child's age and delivered directly to their home mailbox. The service begins at birth and continues until the child turns five. Every child starts the programme with a welcome copy of the classic children's story The Little Engine That Could. According to Kay Hurst, programme manager for the Imagination Library of Knox County, every book sent through the programme across North America receives its final mailing label at Direct Mail Services facilities in Knox County before entering the postal system. To keep costs low, Parton made bulk production agreements with publishing companies. These deals brought the average cost of providing and mailing each book down to around $2.60.A global operation with growing demandWhat began as a small programme in rural East Tennessee has grown into a worldwide effort. The Imagination Library now operates in five countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. So far, the charity has sent more than 300 million books to children around the world. It currently mails out more than three million books every month. In Knox County alone, the local programme has distributed more than 4.1 million books to preschool children since it began. Publishing company Penguin Random House has been the charity's only publishing partner for 27 years. According to its comments in the WVLT report, the company is seeing growing demand for the programme across the country. It has ordered additional print runs to make sure there are enough books for the rising number of registered families. A special committee from the Dollywood Foundation works with reading experts, teachers and child development specialists to choose the books. Lisa Vitelli, Vice President and Director of Premium Literacy Sales at Penguin Random House, said committee members read every book aloud before deciding whether to include it in the programme. This helps them choose stories that interest young children and encourage them to read the books again and again.Visual artist Dan Santat, who created new illustrations for The Little Engine That Could for modern readers, said updating classic children's books helps them connect with younger generations. With the total number of books distributed in Knox County now exceeding four million, local organisers say Parton's original goal of helping children develop a love of reading continues to reach thousands of families.