LUDLOW, Vt. – On Aug. 25, the world lost an extraordinary woman; Dolly Parton passed away at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy that reaches far beyond her music.
For the Ludlow Rotary Club of Vermont, her passing carries a very special meaning. Dolly understood from her own childhood the power of a book.
Raised in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, in a family with very little money, Parton grew up knowing that books could open doors to places, ideas, and possibilities beyond the world around her. Literacy became much more than reading to Parton – it became a way to dream, imagine, learn, and believe in what might be possible. That belief inspired the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, providing young children with free, age-appropriate books and helping families build a foundation for a lifelong love of reading.
Parton’s father was illiterate, but the “smartest person” she ever knew. This impetus guided Parton to design and fund the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Every child in Ludlow, Cavendish, Mount Holly, and Plymouth, from birth to the day of their fifth birthday, is eligible for this program. This equates to 60 titles specifically selected with purpose that each child will receive. If there is more than one child in the household that meets the age requirement, each child will receive their own book personally addressed to them and not the same title as their sibling. The program is completely free and sponsored by the Ludlow Rotary Club.
The Ludlow Rotary Club joined the Imagination Library in 2012, bringing Dolly’s vision to children right here in our service area as above.
To date, nearly 500 local children have graduated from the program – nearly 500 children who received books, shared stories with their families, built their own little libraries, and discovered the joy of reading. Today, we mourn Dolly, but we also celebrate her.
The Ludlow Rotary Club is committed to keeping Parton’s vision alive. We promise to continue supporting the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Ludlow, Cavendish, Mount Holly, and Plymouth. Our future generations may experience Parton’s gift, the gift of literacy, the keystone to education and lifelong opportunity. Open a book, share and discover with a child the world of imagination and possibility.
Families in the Ludlow area can register their child or children for the program by visiting the Fletcher Memorial Library in Ludlow, where they may find a display of Imagination Library books or even a life-size poster of Parton (at the main desk), and plenty of registration cards. Registration cards may also be obtained by writing to the Ludlow Rotary Club, P.O. Box 216, Ludlow, VT 05149. Mailings begin approximately six weeks after the date of registration. The privacy of each child is strictly honored.
If you know a young family in our communities who could benefit from this wonderful program, please share this post with them.
Dolly’s story doesn’t end with her passing. It lives on in every child who opens a book. It lives on in every parent who reads a bedtime story. It lives on in every child who learns to dream a little bigger. And it will continue, too, in our communities, through the work of the Ludlow Rotary Club and our commitment to the children.
Thank you, Dolly, for reminding us that a book can be the beginning of a dream. Your music will be remembered. Your kindness will be remembered. And your love of children, books, and literacy will live on.