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“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer. The seeds of these dreams are often found in books, and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
With these words, Dolly Parton encourages us not only to pursue our dreams but also to make a way for the dreams of children to come true. Her ability to inspire us through music and stories that connect us is the gift she has delivered throughout our lives and always when we needed them most.
“I Will Always Love You” reminds us that no matter how hard life can get, there is always someone who loves us. “Working 9 to 5” makes it easier for us to get through the grind of a workday. “Love is Like a Butterfly,” with its lilting melodies, encourages us to cherish each moment we experience with the person we love because you never know when it will end. And “Unlikely Angel,” about redemption and healing, is something we all need these days.
Dolly Parton is loved around the world not only for her remarkable songs but also for her acting, enthusiasm for life, successful business ventures and all she does philanthropically. Raised in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, she was the fourth of 12 children. She has long credited her father for her business savvy and her mother’s family for her musical abilities.
Worldwide, she has sold over 100 million records. Known primarily as a singer/songwriter for country songs, she also has crossed into the pop and rock genres as well as film soundtracks. She has written over 3,000 songs. She has 25 #1 hits, 44 top 10 country hits, and 10 Country Music Association Awards. She is in four music halls of fame: Nashville Songwriters, Country Music, Songwriters, and Rock & Roll. She’s been nominated for Grammy, Academy, Emmy and Tony awards, been honored by the Kennedy Center and received Jeff Bezos’ Courage and Civility award. Not bad for a young girl from Tennessee with a guitar on her shoulder and a dream in her heart.
Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for the children within her home county. Today, her program spans five countries and gifts over 1 million free books each month to children around the world.
The next time you feel unloved or underappreciated, listen to a little Dolly Parton and know that your dreams, along with those of young children getting a book for the first time, are taking flight, made possible by a girl from Tennessee.
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