Dolly Parton may be most known for her country music and big blonde hair, but she’s also got a heart of gold.
Parton is the head of Imagination Library, a charity that mails free books to children up to age five. She sat down with Ari Shapiro of NPR and told him of her decision to start Imagination Library.
“My dad did not get a chance to go to school,” Parton states. As a result, she wanted to give other children opportunities her father did not have access to. “If you can read, it gives you wings to fly.”
One boy, August Todd, receives a free book every month. His mother claims that her son loves his free books, especially since many of them are books he otherwise would not have heard of.
“We’re going for a billion [books] in my lifetime,” Parton says. “I’m a big dreamer.”