Dolly Parton’s (Not So) Secret Connection to Refugee Children

Country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton passed away on August 25, 2026, at the age of 80. Parton was known for her award-winning music, beloved film roles, and the creation of her 160-acre Dollywood theme park. She was also widely recognized as a philanthropist and humanitarian, championing causes like animal welfare, disaster relief, and, perhaps most notably, children's literacy.

In 1995, Parton founded Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a program that provides free books to children. Parton often credited the inspiration for the library to her father, who was unable to read and faced significant challenges because of limited literacy. By 2003, the program had distributed more than one million books and has since expanded to serve nearly 2,000 communities worldwide.

In 2022, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library partnered with Give a Book and Penguin to launch a pilot program that provided 200 refugee infants and young children in London with free books each month until they reached age five. The initiative brought comfort, stability, and the joy of reading to children who had experienced trauma and displacement. It also created opportunities for refugee families to spend time reading together and building meaningful routines.

Book selections reflected the diversity of the families served while also including classic children's stories and nursery rhymes. The books were distributed through schools, refugee support organizations, and asylum seeker assistance groups, helping ensure broad access to literacy resources for young children and their families.