Though Dolly Parton’s magnitude as a celebrity and philanthropist is mourned nationally, her loss is notably felt in McLean County, too.
Parton, one of the most prominent country singers of all time, has died at the age of 80. She wrote Jolene and 9 to 5 among other hits and was known for her scrappy roots growing up in poverty in a large Appalachian family.
“She’s done such amazing things in the world of literacy, so it’s definitely a loss for our community,” said Jeanne Hamilton, director of the Bloomington Public Library.
Among her philanthropic endeavors, Parton started Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995, a free children’s book gifting program.
“The program that she started promotes school readiness, sending young children free books each month from birth until age five,” said Hamilton. “that actually started…in her home state of Tennessee and in 2023, our state adopted it statewide in Illinois.”
That December, Gov. JB Pritzker visited the library to celebrate the program.
Hamilton said since its start, the program administered by United Way of McLean County has helped 3,800 children in McLean County.
“I think that it’s such an amazing program because it helps build those core literacy skills for kids like understanding, fluency, vocabulary and then it also starts building that foundation for the lifelong love of reading,” she said.
“And that’s so exciting to us as a library, that they can connect to those books.”
Hamilton said her two nephews live in Tennessee and after completing the program themselves, they grew a relationship and continued to visit their local library.
What starts the spark to love reading in a child, Hamilton said, is access, and the Imagination Library program offers just that.
“…some kids don’t necessarily have access to books. Maybe their parents don’t come to the library for some reason, or maybe they didn’t even think about the library,” she said. “So, then they hear about this program and that opens the door.”
Hamilton also credits the beloved icon Parton with putting her name behind such a program to lend attention.
“Not only that, but it also helps structure the program so that people aren’t having to reinvent the wheel,” said Hamilton. “There’s local coordinators [who] agree to fundraise to support the project and then families sign up on the Imagination Library.com website to be a part of the program…but it's funded locally.”
WGLT has reached out to United Way of McLean County for comment on the program after Parton’s death.
Visits to McLean County
When the Imagination Library program came to Bloomington, Parton herself did not visit McLean County.
However, she does have at least two recorded visits in Bloomington-Normal to perform her work as a country music singer.
In 1974, Parton performed at the McLean County Fair and again in 1992 at the Braden Auditorium at Illinois State University.
Parton released her hit song Jolene in 1973 and 9 to 5 was released for the film she starred in of the same name in 1980. So chances are good McLean County residents were able to hear some of her greatest hits live.
