UK in 2007. Dolly Parton Will Not Only Be Remembered for Her Iconic Songs and Southern Charm, But Also for Her Philanthropic

Throughout her life, she supported communities in need, especially in her home state of Tennessee. She funded medical research that led to one of the first Covid-19 vaccines, donated to wildfire victims and even helped the once-endangered bald eagle, America's national bird. But it is her Imagination Library - the mainstay of her charity work - that has helped millions of children learn to read by sending out free books.

The programme was inspired by her father who couldn't read or write. "I think deep down inside, my daddy was prouder of [the library] than he even was of my career, she wrote. Parton established her non-profit organisation, the Dollywood Foundation, in 1988, to help bolster children's education.

Its efforts are practical - like sending out books - and often goes directly to the grass roots, where it can really make a difference, fast. In the early 90s, Parton said she'd give every seventh and eighth-grade student (ages 12 to 14) in Sevier County, Tennessee, where she grew up, $500 if they graduated high school. They had to have a buddy, to keep each other in check - which in turn made more children graduate.

Sure, it was a bit of a bribe, but it worked - the drop out rate went from 35% to 6%, according to the foundation's website." "I'm kind of addicted to the feeling of giving, she once said. "Knowing that I'm doing something good for someone else. Parton was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022, which honoured her as "one of the entertainment world's most generous philanthropists".

Dolly Parton was one of 12 children born into a poor family that lived in a one-bedroom cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Her hardworking father, Robert Lee Parton, was a tobacco farmer. "He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams, Dolly wrote.

Inspired by this, the Imagination Library was launched in 1995, with the help of Robert Parton. It sends out free books to children younger than five every month. The programme was originally set up just for those in Sevier County - but it quickly went national and then global.

The Imagination Library now sends books to children across the US, Canada, UK, Ireland and Australia. According to its website, more than 332.4 million books have been sent out. For many children who have never owned their own book, it is a special gift just for them." "It's the fact they get recognised, Parton once said.

"They get this little book with their little name on it in the mail, and they feel special... they know that somebody out there is thinking of them. In 2018, the Imagination Library donated its 100 millionth book to The Library of Congress in Washington DC. "That vision she had about books and this understanding of sharing stories was remarkable, Eileen Driver, the chair of the Stokesley Imagination Library in the UK, told the BBC's Radio Tees.

Scottish National Party councillor, Lee Mills - admittedly a superfan from a young age - said when he was elected he set out to bring the Imagination Library to Dundee. "Dolly's legacy will last with every page turned of a children's book. I will do my utmost best to ensure that this is delivered to every child in Scotland, he told the BBC.

British author Selina Brown, whose book My Rice is Best was one of those selected to be distributed, told the BBC it was quite emotional to see 14,000 copies of her book being packed up, ready to post. For my book in particular, the protagonist is black.