Dollywood Foundation

Last updated
Dollywood Foundation
Formation1986
Founder Dolly Parton
Headquarters Sevierville, Tennessee
Location
  • United States

The Dollywood Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Dolly Parton, with headquarters in Sevierville, Tennessee (as of 2022). Shortly after the opening of the Dollywood theme park in 1986, the Dollywood Foundation was created in April 1988, and began by offering scholarships to local high school students. [1] From there it grew into the Imagination Library, started in 1995, which distributes free books to children monthly, up until the age of 5. [2] The Dollywood Foundation grew again into the My People Fund, which started in 2016 after wildfires ripped through Tennessee. [3] The current President of the Dollywood Company is Craig Ross. Today, the foundation continues to grant scholarships and awards, and provides support to numerous non-profit organizations that aim to improve the quality of life of children and others in need. [4]

Contents

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

The Imagination Library is a free children's book gifting program started by Dolly Parton in 1995. It is based at her Dollywood theme park near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. [5] The program started by offering every child in Sevier County, Tennessee, the area where Parton was born and raised, a free age-appropriate book each month in the mail until the age of five, regardless of family income. In 2000, the Imagination Library became so popular that Dolly announced that she wanted to make the program available to any community that would partner with her and support it locally. The program has since expanded to over 1,800 local communities in the US, Canada, Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. [2] The program can be implemented in other communities by private or public non-profit organizations, and the Foundation is responsible for the distribution of books in those participating communities and the database that manages the children's information. In 2018, Parton celebrated the delivery of the 100 millionth book since the inception of the program. The Library of Congress hosted an event in February 2018 commemorating the milestone with Parton holding a Story Time to children attending the event. The Imagination Library program currently sends roughly 1.3 million books to children every month. As of 2021, at least 1.7 million children in the U.S. were enrolled, with a net monthly increase of 20,000 to 30,000 children. The program has drastically improved literacy for the children enrolled. [2] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

My People Fund

In November 2016, two teenage boys were charged with setting a fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, known as the 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, which killed fourteen people, including two children, and burned down thousands of homes and businesses. [13] Charges against the two juvenile suspects were later dropped due to insufficient evidence. [14] Dolly gathered her Dollywood companies (Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Dolly Parton’s Lumberjack Adventure, Pirates Voyage, The Dollywood Company) and to establish the ‘My People Fund’ [15] which ultimately donated $1,000 per month to Sevier County households who lost their homes in the fire. Those collecting charitable donations from the Dollywood Foundation could collect their funds for up to six months. [16] Significant donors to the fund include Verizon, Tanger Outlets, Miley Cyrus’ Happy Hippie Foundation, CoreCivic and The Blalock Company. [17] The My People Fund raised over $9 million and assisted more than 900 families. [18]

Scholarships and awards

Having graduated from Sevier County High School in 1964, Dolly Parton launched The Dollywood Foundation in 1988 with the initial intention of raising scholarship funds for local high school students. [19] The Dolly Parton Scholarship was first offered in August 2000. The scholarship would grant a total of $15,000 to four students. With further sponsorship, the scholarship was later offered to four additional high schools including Seymour, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg-Pittman. [20]

When the Imagination Library reached its 100-million total book distribution mark, Dolly Parton announced she would be awarding a scholarship to a participant in the library’s program. In November 2016, Parton granted a $30,000 scholarship to a two-year-old girl, one of the library’s newest participants. The little girl was announced as the winner during the Pure & Simple Tour stop in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The money was placed in an account that will hold the money until the girl enrolls in college. The scholarship, after the 16-year wait, will amount to nearly $50,000. [21]

The Chasing Rainbows Award was created by the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY) in Parton's name. First presented to Dolly in 2002, the award is now given annually to a deserving teacher who has overcome hardship. The Imagination Library has since partnered with the NNSTOY. [22]

Results

By 2006 the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library had spread to 471 communities in 41 states. [23] The overall rating of the organization was given 4 out of 4 stars by charity navigator. [24] The foundation later spread to the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia and Canada. The program helps about 1 million children each month. It is broken down into 6 groups that give recommendations on books depending on when the child was born. [23]

The foundation also gives out scholarships. On April 30, 1988, at Dollywood, Dolly Parton launched the Buddy Program that required a local high school student and one friend to sign a contract agreeing that both pupils must graduate and upon completion each of them would receive $500. The Buddy Program caused the drop-out rate to go down to 6% and kick started her community into creating initiatives to keep kids in school. Awards are made in the following areas: music, academics, and the environment. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolly Parton</span> American singer (born 1946)

Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily for her decades-long career in country music. Widely considered to be one of the top cultural icons in American history, after achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album debut in 1967 with Hello, I'm Dolly, which led to success during the remainder of the 1960s, before her sales and chart peak came during the 1970s and continued into the 1980s. Some of Parton's albums in the 1990s did not sell as well, but she achieved commercial success again in the new millennium and has released albums on various independent labels since 2000, including her own label, Dolly Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sevier County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Sevier County is a county of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 98,380. Its county seat and largest city is Sevierville. Sevier County comprises the Sevierville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Morristown-Sevierville, TN Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pigeon Forge, Tennessee</span> City in Tennessee, United States

Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 6,343. Situated just 5 miles (8 km) north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge is a tourist destination that caters primarily to Southern culture and country music fans. The city's attractions include Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country, WonderWorks, Alcatraz East Crime Museum, as well as numerous gift shops, outlet malls, amusement rides, and musical theaters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dollywood</span> Theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Dollywood is a theme park that is jointly owned by Herschend Family Entertainment and country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton through her entertainment company, Dolly Parton Productions. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly 3 million guests in a typical season from mid-March to the Christmas holidays, Dollywood is the biggest ticketed tourist attraction in Tennessee. It has won many international awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herschend Family Entertainment</span> Private entertainment company

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<i>A Real Live Dolly</i> 1970 live album by Dolly Parton

A Real Live Dolly is the first live album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on June 29, 1970, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson and was recorded on April 15, 1970, at Sevier County High School in Sevierville, Tennessee. It peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 154 on the Billboard 200 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of Many Colors (song)</span> 1971 song written and composed by Dolly Parton

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chasing Rainbows Museum</span> Museum at Dollywood

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The Better Day World Tour was the tenth concert tour by American recording artist, Dolly Parton. Visiting North America, Europe and Australia, the tour supported her 41st studio album, Better Day. With nearly 275,000 tickets sold, and an overall gross of $34 million, it is Parton's most successful tour. The tour was her first visit to Australia in 30 years.

Hollywood to Dollywood is an American documentary film that played at 60 film festivals in the U.S., Canada, Scotland, and Australia in 2011 and 2012. Directed by John Lavin, the film follows the cross-country journey of identical twins Gary and Larry Lane to deliver to Dolly Parton a screenplay they wrote, which includes a role for her. Hollywood to Dollywood has won 24 film festival awards and includes 17 Parton songs, two of which were previously unreleased. The film had a one-week theatrical release in New York beginning August 31, 2012, followed a week later in Los Angeles.

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Gary Lane and Larry Lane are identical twin actors, models, film producers and screenwriters. The twins have appeared in feature films and national TV ads and are three-time grand prize champions of reality TV competitions. They are best known for a film they co-produced and appeared in, Hollywood to Dollywood, a feature-length documentary released theatrically in 2012. The film, about their quest to personally deliver a screenplay they've written to singer-actress Dolly Parton, played at 60 film festivals and won 24 festival awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Smoke World Tour</span> 2014 concert tour by Dolly Parton

The Blue Smoke World Tour is the eleventh concert tour by American recording artist Dolly Parton. The tour promotes Parton's 42nd studio album, Blue Smoke. Beginning in January 2014, the tour played forty-seven shows in North America, Oceania, and Europe. On Pollstar's Mid Year Top 100 Worldwide Tours list, released in July 2014 and ranking tours up until that date, the Blue Smoke World Tour ranked at number 23 with $23.3 million in grosses and 210,288 tickets sold for 38 shows.

<i>Dolly Partons Coat of Many Colors</i> 2015 American television film directed by Stephen Herek

Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors is a 2015 American made-for-television drama film based on a true story by Dolly Parton, written by Pamela K. Long and directed by Stephen Herek. The film premiered on NBC on December 10, 2015. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.

<i>Dolly Partons Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love</i> American TV series or program

Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love is a 2016 American made-for-television drama film based on a true story by Dolly Parton, written by Pamela K. Long and directed by Stephen Herek. The film is a sequel to Coat of Many Colors and premiered on NBC on November 30, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires</span> 2016 wildfires that occurred in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States

The 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, also known as the Gatlinburg wildfires, were a complex of wildfires which began in late November 2016. Some of the towns most impacted were Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, both near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The fires claimed at least 14 lives, injured 190, and is one of the largest natural disasters in the history of Tennessee.

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References

  1. ↑ "Dolly Parton forms The Dollywood Foundation". Official Dolly Parton. 1988-04-03. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  2. 1 2 3 "Dolly Parton's Imagination Library - USA, UK, CA, AU". imaginationlibrary.com. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  3. ↑ "Donate to the "My People Fund"". Official Dolly Parton. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  4. ↑ "Community Relations Support Policy". www.dollywood.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  5. ↑ "Welcome to the official, historical archive of Dolly Parton". Official Dolly Parton. 2015-06-17. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
  6. ↑ Szumlas, Gregory A.; Petronio, Peter; Mitchell, Monica J.; Johnson, Alisha J.; Henry, Tiana R.; DeWitt, Thomas G. (June 2021). "A Combined Reach Out and Read and Imagination Library Program on Kindergarten Readiness". Pediatrics. 147 (6): e2020027581. doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-027581 . ISSN   0031-4005. PMID   34031233.
  7. ↑ Waldron, Chad H. (2018-10-03). ""Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More": The Imagination Library Influencing Storybook Reading and Early Literacy". Reading Psychology. 39 (7): 711–728. doi:10.1080/02702711.2018.1536094. ISSN   0270-2711. S2CID   149970504.
  8. ↑ Ridzi, Frank; Sylvia, Monica; Qiao, Xiaofen; Craig, Jeff (March 2017). "The Imagination Library Program and Kindergarten Readiness: Evaluating the Impact of Monthly Book Distribution". Journal of Applied Social Science. 11 (1): 11–24. doi:10.1177/1936724416678023. ISSN   1936-7244. S2CID   151468943.
  9. ↑ Ridzi, Frank; Sylvia, Monica R.; Singh, Sunita (2014-08-18). "The Imagination Library Program: Increasing Parental Reading Through Book Distribution". Reading Psychology. 35 (6): 548–576. doi:10.1080/02702711.2013.790324. ISSN   0270-2711. S2CID   143814657.
  10. ↑ Conyers, Jeff (2012-06-21). "My Very Own Imagination Library". Childhood Education. 88 (4): 221–225. doi:10.1080/00094056.2012.699850. ISSN   0009-4056. S2CID   144968319.
  11. ↑ Samiei, Shahin; Bush, Andrew J.; Sell, Marie; Imig, Doug (2016-05-18). "Examining the Association Between the Imagination Library Early Childhood Literacy Program and Kindergarten Readiness". Reading Psychology. 37 (4): 601–626. doi:10.1080/02702711.2015.1072610. ISSN   0270-2711. S2CID   146413270.
  12. ↑ Betts, Stephen L. (2021-03-08). "Turning Pages: Inside Dolly Parton's Imagination Library". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
  13. ↑ "Sources: Teens toying with matches started Tennessee wildfire". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  14. ↑ Eric Levenson and Tina Burnside (2017-06-30). "Charges dropped against youths accused in Gatlinburg wildfires". CNN Digital. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  15. ↑ Foundation, Dollywood (2016-11-30). "Home | My People Fund". Dollywood Foundation. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  16. ↑ "Dolly Parton's Dollywood Foundation donating to fire-displaced families". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  17. ↑ "Dollywood Foundation Announces Details for My People Fund". www.businesswire.com. 2016-12-02. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  18. ↑ "Dolly Parton's My People Fund Serves Nearly 900 Families | Cybergrass Bluegrass Music News". www.cybergrass.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  19. ↑ "Dolly Parton forms The Dollywood Foundation". Official Dolly Parton. 1988-04-03. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  20. ↑ "ARTS-CULTURE - Dolly Parton gives scholarships to high school students". Hürriyet Daily News | LEADING NEWS SOURCE FOR TURKEY AND THE REGION. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  21. ↑ "Dolly Parton Offers College Scholarship to Two-Year-Old Girl". Taste of Country. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  22. ↑ "Chasing Rainbows Award - National Network of State Teachers". Official Dolly Parton. 2002-05-05. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  23. 1 2 Greene, Peter (2014-08-12). "Dolly Parton. Really". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  24. ↑ "Charity Navigator - Rating for Dollywood Foundation". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  25. ↑ "CHAPTER 8 TENNESSEE SCHOLARSHIPS" (PDF). JRoan. 2017-02-28. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-02-08.
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