Dolly Parton celebrates Imagination Library's 10th anniversary
Dolly Parton continues to make a name for herself not just in the world of music, but also in the field of philanthropy.
The veteran country singer was on hand in Nashville, Tennessee, Tuesday to mark the 10th anniversary of the Imagination Library, a program she helped create to encourage childhood literacy.
Parton was joined at the event by current Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, a Republican, and Phil Bredesen, the state's former Democratic governor who was in office when the program was created.
"I feel kind of torn here," Parton told the audience at one point, before singing "Torn between two governors" to the tune of the Mary MacGregor classic "Torn Between Two Lovers."
"We got a Democrat and a Republican, but the good news is kids don't care about politics. And neither do we," Parton added.
The ceremony was also held to mark the 10th anniversary since the launch of an annual bus tour for the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation.
Parton, 68, says the issue hits especially close to home, given her own family's own struggles with illiteracy in rural Tennessee.
"[The Imagination Library] was started because of my own father," Parton revealed. "My father couldn't read and write."
Robert Lee Parton died in 2000.
"I wanted to do something to honor my dad because he was a wonderful human being. So it's very personal to me. Very emotional. And I'm just so happy that I can help put books in the hands of children. You can't ever get enough of that, can you?" Parton said.
