Dollywood Foundation Honors Dolly Parton’s Life & Legacy

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Dolly Parton. Photo: Courtesy of Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital

In the wake of its founder Dolly Parton‘s passing yesterday, The Dollywood Foundation issued a statement honoring the icon.

“Dolly often said that she had been blessed far beyond anything she ever dreamed possible, and she believed deeply that those blessings came with a responsibility to give something back,” says Jeff Conyers, President of The Dollywood Foundation. “That belief is woven into everything we do at The Dollywood Foundation. While we are heartbroken by her loss, the mission she gave us is as clear today as it has ever been, and we will carry it forward for generations to come.”

The Dollywood Foundation has prepared carefully for the future and remains honored to carry on the mission Dolly entrusted to it. The Foundation is strong, and the values Dolly instilled in it will continue to guide its work and growth in the years ahead. Parton’s Imagination Library, which launched in 1995 and was inspired by her father and his inability to read and write, started by giving young children in her home county books of their very own. What began in the mountains of East Tennessee grew far beyond anything Dolly could have imagined, and today, the Library reaches millions of children and families, delivering books directly to children’s homes at no cost and creating opportunities for parents and children to experience the joy of reading together.

“Dolly’s legacy was never meant to be something we simply preserve or look back upon,” adds Conyers. “She built things that could keep doing good in the world. Our responsibility now is to care for what she entrusted to us, help it grow thoughtfully and make certain the love at the heart of her work continues reaching children, families and communities long into the future.”

An important part of that legacy will continue quietly, every day, in homes and communities around the world; when a child opens a book addressed especially to them; when a parent and child read a favorite story together; and when a young person begins to imagine a future bigger than the circumstances into which they were born.

The Foundation believes one of the greatest ways to honor Dolly is not simply to remember what she accomplished, but to continue the work she loved—carrying it forward with the same generosity, humility, joy and love with which she began it.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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