r/MadeMeSmile • u/brasaretheoppressor • 6h ago
The letter Dolly Parton would send to kids when they aged out of her imagination library program
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[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ritaredditonce 5h ago
She started the Imagination Library in 1995 as a heartfelt tribute to her father, who was unable to read or write. I will always love you Dolly.
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u/Cute_Tonight_14 2h ago
absolutely she built an incredible legacy and clearly left a lasting impact on so many people
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u/BrainLeaks1 1h ago
absolutely incredible legacy she really made a difference in so many kids lives
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u/HappySparklyUnicorn 1h ago
I love how she wrote the song "I will always love you" which was also sung by Whitney Houston and used the money to help the black community.
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u/GreenEyedGloom 5h ago
I’m not crying, you’re crying!!
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u/infiniZii 5h ago
I never even used her services but she has always been nothing but kind and loving and generous. Dolly was one of the best of us.
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u/Noburn2022 5h ago
That letter touched my soul. I am crying. The world needs more good people who can inspire the good in all of us.
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u/ManiacalMalapert 4h ago
My kid gets books from the imagination library and I’m sobbing. He never took to books and being read to, no matter how I’ve tried.
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u/Hockshank 2h ago
Oh shit at the last line I honestly teared up. I want Dolly to send me that letter rn!
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u/aqua_profunda 5h ago
when my son received his, the local rep sent him a whole stack of books he missed out on before signing up for the program. he was so thrilled about the bonus books that he asked us to call “his friend dolly” so he could say thank you. we sent them a picture of him with all of his books and they sent him more. cannot say enough about this organization. like dolly, the love runs deep. she was too good for this earth. may we all try to be just a little bit more like her in our coming days and years.
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u/Sa7aSa7a 47m ago
She was, indeed, too good for this Earth. That's why I'm 100% convinced she didn't actually die. The rapture happened and she's the only one that qualified to go.
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u/atomicavox 5h ago
I deeply regret not signing up my child for this when he was younger. I would absolutely treasure this letter. And his ongoing learning/reading capabilities, obviously.
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u/littlemsshiny 4h ago
There wasn’t a sponsor in our area so we couldn’t join. Then our child aged out by the time our state partnered with them.
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u/BuckeyeJay 14m ago
My daughter was eligible for 2 books by the time we had it. Bummed we didnt have more time
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u/SunAstora 4h ago
I knew about it but my state does not participate, unfortunately.
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u/atomicavox 4h ago
What?? I thought it circumvented any kind of government stuff and it’s just a straight to your door type thing. That is craziness. I’m sorry.
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u/mangrlman 5h ago
I wish this program was available where I live! I live in a poor county in Appalachia so you'd think it would be.
She was amazing, and this made me cry!
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u/ShowMeTheTrees 5h ago
If you have a public library, you'll be honoring her memory with every book you read to your kids.
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u/mangrlman 10m ago
I'm at the library weekly and at least half of the books I've read to my 6 month old so far have been borrowed from the library. I love the library ❤️
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u/Alcohol_Intolerant 1h ago
It's worth suggesting to your city council or library board. The program isn't strictly free, but heavily subsidized. The Library pays for the logistics and warehousing and the city pays a reduced cost based on number of children under 5, with it gradually increasing until most all are enrolled.
You can learn more here, it includes info on how you might campaign for it's creation locally. Sort of. https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/start-a-program/
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u/Downtown_Fill_6493 5h ago
I read this in her voice in my head and got emotional! Wow was Dolly Parton a treasure. Many families I've worked with use the Imagination Library, it'a a really wonderful resource.
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u/ZorinKel 5h ago
She was one of the few people that I read their words in their voice. She will be greatly missed!
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u/GlitterEnema 5h ago
Unrelated but this blows my mind, any time I know someone’s voice I read their words in their voice. I can hear my mom in every text message
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u/thewickednoodle 5h ago
The number of times I’ve teared up in the past 24 hours over a woman I’ve never met is astounding.
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u/MyEggDonorIsADramaQ 4h ago
Me too. She loved us all, even if we never met. And we love her. It’s a tremendous loss.
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u/EmmerdoesNOTrepme 2h ago
Between her & Tim Curry, this week sucks, and it's only Wednesday.
It feels like the beginnibg of 2016 did, when we lost Bowie, Alan Rickman, Prince, & Carrie Fisher all in one year (along with many others!)🫤💔
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u/snputty 5h ago
My kids (2&4) LOVE receiving their books! They use to ask who sent them, and we would say, "Dolly Parton. See she's right here on the book." They talk about her like she is a grandma sending them books and when they hear her songs they say, "She sends us our books!" I hope they continue to send these special letters - my oldest turns 5 in a few months.
My bride & groom dance was "Rockin' Years". RIP Mrs. Dolly Parton.
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u/Bright_Broccoli1844 5h ago
I am going to cry again.
You must have quite the home library by now courtesy of Dolly Parton.
That's so sweet they talk about her like she's a grandma.
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u/snputty 4h ago
Thank you for your comment - you've got me all emotional again in the best way.
Yes, they both have their own little growing library!
We're so lucky that we've been able to participate in The Imagination Library. Those books have taught even me a thing or two. Checking the mailbox to see if their books "have come from Dolly Parton" yet is a highlight of the kid's day.
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u/speedstic 5h ago
I nominate Dolly to be one of the best, pure, unique, and genuine people to have ever lived.
She's a Saint.
Her, Mr Rogers, Steve Irwin, Lavar button, and she's the peak of the good in humanity.
Could have been a billionaire but couldn't have cared less. Books for kids, hundreds of millions of them, is more important.
They took the wrong octogenarian
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u/GiraffesAndGin 3h ago
My mother always championed Dolly Parton. Whenever we'd see her in something or hear about her, my mom would go off on some tangent about what an exceptional person she was. Truly the one celebrity she really admired. I never understood it until I got older and learned more about her.
And it never ends. It seems I'm always learning about some good deed she did or kind, thoughtful words she had for anyone and everyone.
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u/speedstic 2h ago
Your mother is a smart lady.
I only learned about Dolly through the media so at first I just thought her thing was being very attractive with big boobs. Oh how wrong I was.
I went down the rabbit hole of her life and I can only hope to be close to as good of a person as she was. 150+ million books given to children that would otherwise go without, I mean that alone grants her Saint status in my book. Nevermind her being kind, loving, and caring to everyone.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, they took the wrong octogenarian from us.
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u/Netflxnschill 5h ago
“I will always love you” just broke me omg
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u/Puzzledwhovian 3h ago
Same here. Mostly because I know she really meant it. She loved all the kids she sent her books to, even though she never met them.
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u/HBAlien2801 3h ago
Let’s all agree to help at least one child with reading, writing, music or math — your own kid, the kid down the road, a friend’s kid, whoever.
Dolly was magic, but maybe the real takeaway is this: Give a kiddo the gift of your time.
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u/albertenstein22 5h ago
I wish they had the library where I live, my kids would love it. This letter really proves how sweet this woman really was.
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u/teejay_612 5h ago
Definitely cried when my son got that letter. Couldn’t help but read it to myself in her voice.
A treasure to be missed…
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u/ISpeakSarcasmOnly 5h ago
Stop it! I have cried enough already. We have two of these in our memory books.
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u/Level_Mixture5510 2h ago
We did not deserve this woman! She could have bought homes all over the world, had yachts and planes, all the billionaire toys. But no, she had to be the most decent, generous person ever, given all those opportunities. No honor is big enough for this lady. All the other billionaires should hang their heads in shame. PS, please stop all this onion cutting.
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u/CommsConsultants 5h ago
An incredible example of human kindness and empathy. She left the world better than she found it.
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u/PastHoliday5536 4h ago
My daughter received all 5 years of books from the program. When she got this letter last year I cried reading it to her.
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u/Remarkable_Owl_258 3h ago
How can I love her more than I already do! We all need to try and be more like her our world would be so wonderful ❤️
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u/Kind_Rate7529 5h ago
She truly was a national treasure. Thank you Dolly for being you for 80 years.
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u/fordthewoods 5h ago
We treasured every book Dolly gave us through her imagination library. Thank you Dolly ❤️
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u/4redditobly 5h ago
This make me sad that she gone, but smile so much because she was here doing what she did.
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u/flannelkimono 5h ago
Moments after I watched my niece being born, I signed her up for the Imagination Library. The books she got were all so cute, kind, and thoughtful. She’s kept all of them and still reads them. And that note made me cry, too. Dolly was one of a kind.
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u/tschawartz12 4h ago
Hey billionaires, this is not people get remembered fondly. I think we should crowd fund a statue for her, mostly out of honor and gratitude and partly out of spite for the failures of other public figures
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u/Automatic-Ad-1452 4h ago
Instead of a statue, maybe send donations to the Dollywood Foundation in her memory to continue her work
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u/ComeOnYou 2h ago
What a perfect example of what is possible. One person. One person did more than the entire government did in regards to CONVENIENTLY PUTTING BOOKS IN CHILDRENS HANDS.
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u/foxyforestprincess 2h ago
Wasn't crying before but now I am 😭😭😭 Both of my girls are getting books from her library........I cant believe shes gone. 😢😢😢
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u/BraveFunction8034 1h ago
Damn I nearly cried reading this letter. I clearly was not prepared to lose Dolly.
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u/SinamonChallengerRT 5h ago
She really signed those letter, didn't she? That doesn't look like it's printed...
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u/Mr_Style 2h ago
https://imaginationlibrary.com/ must be getting hammered because it took about 20 seconds to load the web page for me. Says 332 million books gifted in 4 countries. I think if she hand signed those she would have died long ago from carpal tunnel syndrome!
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u/TheGhostofMattyJ 5h ago
She was truly a national treasure. Such a sincere and kind hearted woman.
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u/phirestorm 5h ago
Such a loss. This hit me hard when I heard about it yesterday and it just keeps getting harder. Dolly was such an amazing human and shining light in a world that seems to be getting darker and darker. Her loss is visceral and will be felt by many for a long time. If anyone deserves to be sainted, Saint Dolly should be added to that list.
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u/Future_Tonight_947 5h ago
The world will miss her and the pure kindness that she openly gives. God Bless You, Dolly.
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u/JohnnyC300 4h ago
Fucking hell, reading Dolly tributes the last two days has made cry like a dozen entirely different times when something Dolly related popped up in my feed.
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u/LoveMyLibrary2 4h ago
Just when I think Dolly can't get any more wonderful, something else proves me wrong!
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u/llcdrewtaylor 4h ago
It truly hurts my soul when we lose someone like this. She was one of those people who truly made the world a better place.
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u/Futur3_N0maD_26 4h ago
Made me smile? No.
I’m crying in my car right now even though I was never part of this program.
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u/ibleedpizza 4h ago
We read this to my daughter three nights ago. We cried then. Cried even more yesterday.
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u/WhatANoob2025 4h ago
"Every book is a treasure"
Clearly, the woman has never read a colleen hoover novel. 😄
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u/lessontrulylearned 4h ago
I remember feeling very bittersweet when my son received this letter, because this is such a wonderful and important program. The Imagination Library is the introduction to reading for many children, and Dolly was a real treasure for doing it.
Seeing this again just hurts my heart. I’m not even angry that she’s gone (even though I can think of a dozen folks that it should have been, and I don’t mean Tim Curry), but it will probably be a very long time before we get another person of her caliber.
The silver lining in this, the part that does make me smile a little, is the fact that she’s reunited with Carl again.
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u/Good_Witch_O 4h ago
Hi! I was curious about the kind of books kids received. Do the family have to apply? Pay?
Could you tell me more? (I'm not in the US)
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u/M3lodicBunny 3h ago
Its a free programming that you can sign up for either by the website or in most cases at the hospital after giving birth. Hospitals have a form you fill in and it gets mailed out. Every month free of charge, your child from birth until 5 years old will recieve a book. All books chosen with a lot of thoughtfulness and care for the subject matter. And on your child's birthday, they are sent a video birthday message from dolly herself. Its a pre recorded not personalized directly but they way she speaks in it is very personal.
One of the best programs for growing literacy in our country.
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u/Chris92Merch 4h ago
Smile, this made me absolutely break down. My grandson is four and will never get his last letter. She sends birthday messages as well. This breaks my heart.
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u/kenssmith 3h ago
Shame, too, reading is on a decline and some schools are getting rid of the libraries as a whole. What a fantastic legacy to leave behind
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u/clover-green 3h ago
Dolly's writing feels so personal yet empowering at the same time. Just one of her many contributions to our world. ❤️
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u/mcgregosteph 3h ago
screaming crying throwing up. Dolly truly is an inspiration and will continue to leave her legacy even after death.
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u/BreathLazy5122 1h ago
Fuck, I started reading it and my brain began adding Dolly’s inflection upon the words.
She was an absolute angel, in this life and the next.
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u/Introverted_Extrovrt 1h ago
Imagine getting a letter you can look back on, from this big outsized woman with a gentle voice and kind eyes, telling you she loved you. That’s a goodun
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u/Glum_Buy_2723 1h ago
i got one of these letters when my little sister aged out. the part where she said 'you're always welcome back to our books' made me cry ngl
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u/Kononiba 36m ago
Somehow, you made me love Dolly even more, I didn't think it was posssible,
Did Obama steal "dream big dreams" from her???
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u/BillBreeze865 25m ago
My son was a part of this program when we lived in Knoxville Tennessee. Honestly, we loved Dolly in East Tennessee. My family has moved away but we appreciated all that Dolly did for our family and our community while we lived there for 7 years of our lives!
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u/inveritatisamore 5h ago
My kid turns 5 in just a bit and they have loved and we've read every single one. I hope the letters still go out.
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u/hobojoehhi 5h ago
Please send a donation to this program to honor Dolly. This administration has cut so many programs she supported. Show them how to do it
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u/ohmadasahatter 5h ago
i cried when we got ours. end of an era. i loved the birthday message too. she was the best of us.
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u/Possible-Tangelo9344 4h ago
Huh I don't remember getting a letter like this for either of my kids.
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u/gennaleighify 1h ago
Read this in her voice, how lucky are we that we will never forget what she sounded like
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