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Dolly Parton has to have the highest approval rating of any celebrity that we know. Have you ever known of anyone who does not like her?

We have yet to hear of anyone who has a bad word to say about her. She’s kind and thoughtful and does not put on airs. She’s a refreshingly normal person who only wants to help people and live life as peacefully as possible.

Photo: Flickr/Eva Rinaldi License: CC BY-SA 2.0

If you were not already a fan of hers, this story is sure to change that. Since 1996, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has been providing millions of free books to children all over the country.

In fact, the books are provided across multiple countries. She along with generous local sponsors offer these books to children who are under the age of 5. Her objective is simple, she wants to provide children with easy access to books and spur a love of reading from the youngest age possible.

Photo: Pexels/Lina Kivaka

When the organization first got its start, its ambitions were a bit more humble. The Imagination Library was distributing books to children who reside in Dolly’s home state of Tennessee. It did not take long before the initiative became successful and they looked to expand their operations even further. Dolly’s father is the one who provided the initial inspiration.

In a statement on the website, Dolly said:

“Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. I cant’ tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.”

Photo: Flickr/pipilongstockings License: CC BY 2.0

She went on to say, “Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission. In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to well over 1 million children. Of course, I have not done this alone. The real heroes of our story are the thousands of local organizations who have embraced my dream and made it their own. They raise millions of dollars each year and wake up every day with a passion to make sure their kids have every opportunity to succeed.”

If you would like to learn more about the initiative, please be sure to visit the Imagination Library’s website.