Dolly Parton Makes 100 Millionth Book Donation

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, file – Dolly Parton
23rd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles.

Everyone knows Dolly Parton for her iconic country ballads, but most probably don’t know she runs a book-donation literacy program that just partnered with nation’s largest library.

The country star’s Imagination Library has donated books to families in need for the past 20 years. On Feb. 27 Parton donated the nonprofit’s 100 millionth book to the Library of Congress, according to ABC News.

“It makes me feel proud of who I am, where I’m from and the fact that I’m in a position to help people and especially the kids,” Parton said of the milestone on “Good Morning America.” “It’s so important to me because if you can teach children to read they can dream and if you can dream you can be successful.”

Parton also launched a new initiative between Imagination Library and the Library of Congress, in which a book reading will be live-streamed and shared with various libraries across the country.

Parton was inspired to start the nonprofit in 1996 by her father, who never learned how to read or write. Now, the non-profit donates books once a month to children before they enter kindergarten.  

Parton still tours from time to time. Her 2016 outing had no problem selling out shows and placed No. 34 on Pollstar’s Year End Top 200 North American Tours Chart, with 387,161 tickets sold and more than $31 million grossed. Highlights include two nights at the Hollywood Bowl, which moved 28,312 tickets and raked in more than $2.2 million.