Families in Palm Beach County are remembering Dolly Parton not only through her music, but also through her lasting legacy in education.
The country music star died Tuesday after "a brief battle with cancer," according to reporting by CNN.
WATCH: Dolly Parton's literacy legacy lives on in Palm Beach County
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library has gifted more than 38,000 books to around 2,000 children in Palm Beach County, building a foundation of early literacy one monthly delivery at a time.
For 6-year-old Dylan Nicholson of Wellington, those books became a cornerstone of his early love of reading.
His mother, Christina Nicholson, said his passion for books grew from those early experiences.
"It started with me reading to him. And then eventually it was him reading to me. He reads to me a lot now," Christina Nicholson said.
She credits the Imagination Library with sparking that passion. The program gifted Dylan dozens of books from birth through age 5, arriving each month addressed directly to him.
"It was very cool for the kids to get these delivered and once a month," Christina Nicholson said. "Dylan would get a new book. It was pretty cool because in the mail it would come addressed to him."
A program born from personal experience
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995, inspired by her own family's story.
"She started Imagination Library because her father never had the opportunity to learn to read or write," said Christen Thompson, director of Palm Beach County's Imagination Library.
Thompson said the program now operates in five countries and has made a measurable difference both globally and locally.
“That impact really can be seen at a global level and also right here in our community," Thompson said.
Curated books, no cost to families
Beyond the free delivery, Christina Nicholson said the quality of the selections stood out.
"They are literary experts that pick which book gets sent out every month," Christina Nicholson said. "But we love the stories and they're new books that I wouldn't think to buy at a book store."
Parton's legacy of giving has helped improve early literacy, strengthen family bonds and remove financial burdens for families across the county.
"There's just so many great resources that you don't have to pay for and you can help by supporting," Christina Nicholson said. "That's big support for the imagination library.”
How to sign up or support the program
Families can sign up online or by filling out a registration form and submitting it by email.
Parton's family has also asked that fans who wish to honor her memory consider donating to the Imagination Library in lieu of flowers.
"Her family has asked that in lieu of flowers, fans if they choose to — would like to donate to her imagination library," Thompson said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
