It’s often said that everyone loves Dolly Parton, the long-running country superstar who is increasingly known these days as a voice for literacy.
The Salida Sunrise and Buena Vista Rotary Clubs, local conduits for Dolly’s Imagination Library for young children, are excited to promote the free one-night world premiere at 5 p.m. MST Wednesday, Dec. 9 of The Library That Dolly Built, a behind-the-scenes look at Dolly’s venture – which was inspired by her father’s inability to read.
Originally scheduled as a nationwide live event this spring, the project has been reimagined as a free live stream screening on Facebook. The screening will be followed by a conversation with and live acoustic performance by Dolly. Viewers can tune into the live screening and conversation on Facebook.com/dollysimaginationlibrary and ImaginationLibrary.com.
Dolly created the Imagination Library to inspire a love for books and reading among the nation’s preschool children. Since its inception in 1995, the Library has grown into a global endeavor and recently hit a new milestone, gifting its 150 millionth book. The Library is currently gifting books to 1.7 million children around the world each month.
“I am so excited that we can finally tell the whole story of the Imagination Library,” Dolly said. “It is certainly not just about me. Our story is the story of children, of families and communities who all share the dream to inspire kids to love to read and to love to learn. My hope is this documentary will encourage more towns, more states and even more countries to jump on board. One thing is for sure, I think this is the best investment I have ever made.”
The Salida Sunrise and Buena Vista Rotary Clubs launched the Chaffee County program in March 2015. Since then, more than 32,000 books have been mailed to over 1,150 children locally.
The Library That Dolly Built, directed and produced by journalism professor and director of Land Grant Films Nick Geidner, and narrated by Danica McKellar, shows how one of the most famous and beloved performers in the world has partnered with thousands of community organizations to develop an effective program for spreading the love of reading. Imagination Library started as a gift for the children in Dolly’s hometown, Sevierville, Tennessee, and is now active in all 50 states and 5 countries, gifting 1.7 million free, age-appropriate books to children every month.
Through original interviews with authors, policymakers, Imagination Library staff, recipients and the legend herself, the film provides a glimpse of the profound impact the Library has made. The film provides a biographical sketch of Dolly, featuring rare photos and films from her childhood. Unlike most biographies of Dolly, it doesn’t focus on her music, but instead on how she has used her success to give back to people.
For more information visit www.imaginationlibrary.com/film.
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