We’re Grateful for Dolly Parton

When Dolly Parton passed away on August 25 at the age of 80, the world paid tribute to a woman it’s always known as The Queen of Country. But for tens of thousands of children around St. Joseph County, and hundreds of thousands around the world, Dolly was someone else entirely.

She was The Book Lady.

Since 2018, the Community Foundation has partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to bring free books every single month to families across St. Joseph County. During that time, we’ve delivered nearly a million books to more than 28,000 local children.

Dolly Parton will be remembered for many things, including her philanthropy and her 49 studio albums that have sold more than 100 million copies, but in interviews she said she was most proud of the Imagination Library.

More than 10,000 children across St. Joseph County receive a book from the Imagination Library every single month, and that’s just a small part of a long legacy that won’t go away.