‘My mission’ – Dolly Parton’s family issue plea to support special project she brought to Ireland

DOLLY Parton’s family has fans and mourners to back a cause that was closest to her heart — the Imagination Library project she brought to Ireland.

The iconic singer launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Ireland in 2019 and has been inspiring Irish children ever since. 

Heartbreaking tributes have poured in for the US singer who died on Tuesday at the age of 80.

Mary Lou McDonald praised Dolly for her talent and bringing her charitable work to Ireland.

She said: “I’ve been a big fan of Dolly and her music for as long as I can remember.

“She was a remarkable songwriter, a trailblazer for women and someone whose warmth and humour connected with people everywhere.

“Her legacy also reaches far beyond music. Through her incredible charitable work, particularly the Imagination Library, she helped give millions of children the gift of reading.

“There really was nobody quite like Dolly. Her music and generosity will live on for generations.”

Dolly’s dream was to get children to develop a love of books and reading early in life.

Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly started the Imagination Library in 1995. 

In a previous letter, Dolly explained: “Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. 

“I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. 

“He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.

“Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission.

“In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to well over three million children.”

Ireland became the fifth country to launch her library along with the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

Today the programme mails over 1.3million free books each month.

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper is the official Welcome Book and the first book sent to children in Ireland. 

Once registered with the programme, the child would receive a free book in the post every month until they are five years old.

South Dublin County Council welcomed the initiative in Tallaght Library. 

The books are hand-selected by the Gold Medal Book Selection Committee and each title is chosen to meet the growing needs of the child at the pivotal stages of development.

The Committee chose The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde as the Graduation Book that little ones will receive as they prepare for school and the next chapter of their learning journey.

Dolly added: “Let’s share this dream that all children should grow up in a home full of books.

“The first step is always the hardest, but you’ll never know unless you try…”