The Literacy Cooperative Honors Dolly Parton’s Legacy of Books and Literacy

CLEVELAND, OH, August 26, 2026 — The Literacy Cooperative is mourning the passing of Dolly Parton and honoring the extraordinary legacy she created through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

For 31 years, Dolly Parton’s simple belief that every child deserves access to books has grown into a global movement. Today, over 3 million children across five countries are registered for Imagination Library, with more than 300 million books mailed to children each month.

“Dolly Parton understood that a book can change the trajectory of a child’s life,” said Robert Paponetti, President and CEO of The Literacy Cooperative. “We are honored to carry her vision forward in Cuyahoga County.”

As the local program partner for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Cuyahoga County, The Literacy Cooperative promotes the program, enrolls children, builds community awareness and partnerships, raises funds to support the cost of books and mailing, and provides literacy resources to participating families.

More than 41,000 children in Cuyahoga County are currently enrolled. Since 2017, the program has mailed 2.7 million books have reached over 90,000 children.

Dolly Parton’s family asked fans to support her legacy by donating to the Imagination Library in lieu of sending flowers. The Literacy Cooperative encourages if they cannot donate to also continue Dolly’s legacy by reading with a child, sharing information about Imagination Library with eligible families, and attending community events in her honor.

Dolly’s dream lives on in every child who opens a book. The Literacy Cooperative is committed to carrying it forward.