Rhinestones & Reading: Knox County Carries Dolly’s Light Forward

When Dolly Parton passed on Aug. 25 at the age of 80, the world paused to remember the voice behind "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors" and "I Will Always Love You." Almost immediately, the conversation turned from her rhinestones to her generosity. Alongside her talent, her unshakable faith, and her deep humanity, it was her philanthropy and promise to children that began to receive a proper spotlight.

That promise is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Parton founded it in 1995 in Sevier County, Tennessee, in honor of her father, who never learned to read or write. Every enrolled child receives a free, age-appropriate book in the mail each month from birth until age 5, beginning with The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. The local program, administered by volunteer Mary Theobald, has been available to every Knox County child under 5 since 2024.

The Knox County Public Library responded the way a library knows best: with books. The Friends of the Library's end-of-the-month book sale immediately became "Rhinestones & Reading," and the community answered. A total of 104 people came through the doors to choose free books for their home libraries. Two children signed up for their very first library cards; a milestone Dolly would have cheered. And more than 50 complimentary cups of Dolly's Cup of Ambition coffee were poured, with extra creamer, just the way she liked it.

On Sept. 25 (9/25, a wink to "9 to 5"), the Dollywood Foundation, home of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, launched Dolly Day, a new annual effort to help communities raise the local share of the program's cost. Jay and Jennifer Winburn, owners of Impressed Coffee, stepped up right away as community partners, donating a portion of the proceeds from a specially designed "9-2-5" drink.

Trevor Murray, a local pastor, chaplain, and gifted musician, immediately began assembling local musicians for an all-volunteer performance, "We Will Always Love You: A Dolly Parton Tribute," at the St. James Performing Arts Center on October 9. Every donation benefited the Knox County Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

Knox Life, a subcommittee of the Knox County, Indiana, Economic Development Corporation, joined in the effort by awarding the Friends of the Knox County Public Library a $5,000 matching grant. The local share of the program's cost is $18,496 a year, and with state support for the program uncertain, that local commitment has never mattered more. Paired with

community fundraising, the grant helps ensure that the 943 currently enrolled Knox County children from birth to age 5 will continue to receive books in their mailboxes through the end of 2027, regardless of state-level funding changes.

What stands out most, though, is not any single dollar figure. It is how many people gave their time, talent, and resources for children they may never meet. A coffee shop owner will never know which toddler gets a picture book because of a morning latte. A volunteer musician may never see the bedtime story a song helped pay for. And yet they did it anyway, together, for the greater good and the future of their neighbors. It is refreshing to watch a community agree on something as simple as, “You can never get enough books into the hands of a child,” as Dolly Parton was frequently quoted.

Readers who want to spend more time with the legacy Dolly left behind can find her memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business, and her picture book Coat of Many Colors, both by Dolly Parton, at the Knox County Public Library. To enroll a child under 5 in the Knox County Dolly Parton Imagination Library, stop by the library or visit imaginationlibrary.com.