Dollywood Foundation facts for kids
The Dollywood Foundation Logo
|
|
| Formation | 1986 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Dolly Parton |
| Headquarters | Sevierville, Tennessee |
| Location |
|
The Dollywood Foundation was started in 1988 by famous singer Dolly Parton. Her goal was to help kids in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee, do well in school. At first, the Foundation worked to stop students from dropping out of high school.
In the early 1990s, Dolly made a special promise. She told every 7th and 8th grader that she would give them $500 if they graduated from high school. This program was called the Buddy Program. It helped reduce the dropout rate for these students from 35% to just 6%. This success also encouraged the community to offer more help to students.
In 1995, the Foundation launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. This program gives free books every month to children under five years old. It started in Sevier County and has grown into a worldwide effort. The Imagination Library is now the Foundation's most famous program.
Contents
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a program that sends free, high-quality books to young children. Kids from birth until they turn five years old can get a new book mailed to them every month. It doesn't matter how much money their family makes.
The program began in 1995, sending books only to children in Sevier County, Tennessee. This is where Dolly Parton grew up. It became very popular, so in 2000, they started to spread the program across the United States. By 2003, the Imagination Library had sent out one million books. This was just the beginning of many millions more.
In 2004, Dolly's home state of Tennessee decided to offer the program statewide. Soon after, the Imagination Library began to expand globally. It launched in Canada in 2006 and the United Kingdom in 2007. Later, it came to Australia in 2013 and the Republic of Ireland in 2019.
How the Imagination Library Works
The Imagination Library works with "Local Program Partners." These partners help bring the program to different cities, towns, and communities around the world. Local partners can be businesses, school districts, or even groups of people. They all share the goal of helping kids read.
Local Program Partners are in charge of signing up children who live in their area. They also promote the program online and at local events. The Imagination Library helps get books at a good price. However, the local partners are responsible for raising money to pay for the books and shipping. Because of their efforts, the books are 100% free for the children who receive them.
Impact and Awards
As of 2024, about 1 in 7 children in the U.S. were getting books from the Imagination Library. The program now sends out about 3 million books to children worldwide every month.
In 2018, Dolly Parton celebrated a huge milestone: the 100 millionth book delivered. The Library of Congress held an event to celebrate this achievement. Dolly read stories to children there. In 2021, the Library of Congress gave the Imagination Library a special award, the $150,000 David M. Rubenstein Prize. This was for sending over 160 million books to children around the world. Dolly Parton and her book program have received many awards for helping kids everywhere.
The Imagination Library has also earned the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. It received a "Best Practices" award from the Library of Congress Literacy Awards. It has also been recognized in a science journal called Reading Psychology. These are just a few of the many honors the program has received.
Helping Students and Community
The Dollywood Foundation has always focused on helping young people succeed.
The Buddy Program
In 1988, Dolly Parton started the "Buddy Program" at Dollywood. This program was for 7th and 8th graders in Sevier County. Each student picked a friend, and they signed a contract together. They promised to help each other stay in school and graduate from high school. If they both graduated, each student would receive $500.
In 1992, the first group of "buddies" graduated and received their $500. The former Governor of Tennessee, Lamar Alexander, was there to celebrate. The next year, the second group graduated with Governor Ned McWherter attending. The Buddy Program helped lower the dropout rate to just 6%. It also inspired the community to create more ways to keep kids in school.
Scholarships for Education
Dolly Parton graduated from Sevier County High School in 1964. When she started The Dollywood Foundation in 1988, one of its first goals was to raise money for scholarships. These scholarships would help local high school students go to college.
The Foundation offers five scholarships each year to high school seniors in the county. These scholarships help students pay for college at any approved university. The Dolly Parton Scholarship is a $15,000 award given annually at each high school. It's for students who have a dream they want to follow. They need to show how they plan to achieve their dreams.
When the Imagination Library sent out its 100 millionth book, Dolly Parton announced a special scholarship. She gave a $30,000 scholarship to a two-year-old girl who was part of the Imagination Library program. The money was put into an account for her. By the time she's ready for college, the scholarship will be worth almost $50,000.
Chasing Rainbows Award
The National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY) created an award in Dolly Parton's name. It's called the Chasing Rainbows Award. Dolly first received this award in 2002. Now, it is given every year to a deserving teacher who has overcome challenges. The Imagination Library has since partnered with NNSTOY.
My People Fund
In November 2016, large fires spread through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. These fires, known as the 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, caused a lot of damage. More than a dozen people died, and over a thousand families in Sevier County lost their homes. Sevier County is where The Dollywood Foundation is located.
Dolly Parton asked the Foundation to help these families. The plan was to give $1,000 per month for six months to families who lost their main home. Within two weeks, The Dollywood Foundation and Dolly's companies (like Dolly Parton's Stampede and The Dollywood Company) set up the 'My People Fund'.
Families could collect money from the fund for up to six months. Many groups and people donated to the fund. These included Verizon, Tanger Outlets, Miley Cyrus’ Happy Hippie Foundation, and CoreCivic.
By May 2017, the Foundation announced that over $12 million had been raised. All this money was given to the families who lost their homes. Extra funds also provided one-time scholarships to high school seniors whose homes were destroyed by the fires.
Overall Impact
By 2006, the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library had grown to 471 communities in 41 states. The organization received a top rating of 4 out of 4 stars from Charity Navigator. The Foundation later expanded its programs to the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia, and Canada.
The Imagination Library program helps about 1 million children every month. It organizes books into six groups. These groups give recommendations on books based on when a child was born, making sure kids get books that are just right for their age.
