County music legend Dolly Parton has announced she’s donating the proceeds of her first children’s album – I Believe in You -- to her Imagination Library, a program that sends books to children around the country.
Parton posted about the album’s release on her Facebook page, saying, “My first album was released 50 years ago and it's been an amazing 50 years since then. I am very excited that now I'm coming out with my first children's album! I'm so proud to say that all of the proceeds from this CD will go to the Imagination Library! It’s been 20 years since the Imagination Library was launched. We’ve seen 100 million books get into the hands of children and hopefully there will be many more.”
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My first album was released 50 years ago and it's been an amazing 50 years since then. I am very excited that now I'm...
Posted by Dolly Parton on Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Parton launched the Imagination Library in 1995 to benefit the children of her home county in East Tennessee.
Parton has said in interviews that her father was the inspiration for the Imagination Library.
"My daddy couldn't read and write, but daddy was so smart," she told CNBC. "He could just do numbers in his head. But my daddy, then after he was grown, he couldn't read or write; he thought that it was just too hard to do."
Her vision, according to the Imagination Library's website, was to get books into kids' hands to “foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families."
The age-appropriate books are mailed to the kids’ homes.
The website notes the singer “wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.”