Tag Archives: Imagination Library

A Legend

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On Tuesday, Dolly Parton died. The world lost a fantastic voice and a great example of the right way to handle success and wealth.

Tuesday night, The New York Post posted an article about the accomplishments and generosity of Dolly Parton.

The article reports:

God bless the superb Dolly Parton, who passed away Tuesday in Nashville, the Music City.

To call her the Queen of Country is both true and not. 

The genius who wrote “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” on the same day was certainly a country music icon.

But Parton transcended genre, and a one-room cabin in Tennessee, to become an icon for all Americans.

In 1980, she starred in the hit comedy “9 to 5,” while her theme song for the film hit No. 1 simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100, adult contemporary and country charts.

We dare you to find anyone who didn’t like Dolly.

She never had a bad word to say about anyone, and her sly wit mostly took aim at her own flashy persona.

“It takes a lot of money to look this cheap,” she quipped, and later said that quote would likely go on her tombstone.

Parton’s genius as a self-created icon paved the way for generations of female artists.

Madonna, Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus (her goddaughter) all plainly owe some performative debt to Dolly.

…Dolly grew up dirt poor, and never forgot where she came from: Her Dollywood Foundation may be the model for making a difference in a community — and through it, in the world, as the Imagination Library, inspired by her father’s illiteracy, has mailed out over 300 million books to children (one a month from birth until they start school) and also gone global via partnerships.

On Tuesday, The Yorkshire Post posted a few Dolly Parton quotes:

“You’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try.”

“If I see something saggin’, baggin’ or draggin’, I’m gonna have it nipped, tucked or sucked!”

“I was the first woman to burn my bra – it took the fire department four days to put it out.”

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”

“You gotta keep trying to find your niche and trying to fit into whatever slot that’s left for you or to make one of your own.”

“Leave something good in every day.”

She will be missed.

When Charity Funds Go Missing

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Dolly Parton is known for starting a literacy program for children. She began her Imagination Library, a book gifting program that mails high-quality, free books to more than 3 million children around the world each month, in 1995. 

On Saturday, Breitbart reported: 

California’s top librarian is accused of failing to produce $650,000 in missing funds linked to a literacy program started by country music star Dolly Parton in east Tennessee in 1995.

State legislators recently pelted Greg Lucas, the leader of the California State Library, with questions about the funds during a budget hearing on education, the New York Post reported on Friday.

…During the hearing, state Sen. Shannon Grove (R) told Lucas he did not have documentation to show where the money went.

She then asked point blank, “Where’s the money?”

Lucas was appointed to lead the state library in 2014 by former Gov. Jerry Brown, ABC 10 reported.

The article concludes:

Legislation for a statewide version of the program through the state library was signed into law in 2022 with the approval of over $68 million in state funding for the books. The Post noted that “Lawmakers allowed up to 10% — about $6.8 million — for administrative costs and set a goal of enrolling roughly 65% of eligible California children within five years.”

However, when the program stalled for a couple of years the state library entered a $19.2 million contract in late 2024 with Strong Reader Partnership, a nonprofit group that was closed down in September. It received over $4.8 million from the state with $4 million shifted to a money market account.

The nonprofit said it spent about $1.2 million but bank statements reportedly showed over $500,000 in expenses. Now, lawmakers claim nearly $650,000 is missing and Lucas has said he will get answers for officials.

In regard to the lack of documentation, Grove told Lucas in a budget meeting, “You don’t have receipts requested six times. You don’t have bank statements requested six times from this committee. … That makes no sense, and that reeks of horrific no transparency and potential fraud.”

This could simply be a case of missing receipts, but unfortunately, California does not have a great record in preventing fraud in government programs.