through her Imagination Library<\/a>.<\/p>\nParton launched the program in 1995, inspired in part by her father\u2019s inability to read or write. It provides free, age-appropriate books to children from birth through age 5. The program has since distributed hundreds of millions of books worldwide.<\/p>\n
![\"Imagination](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787795913_942_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
WFTS<\/p>\n
Imagination Library books<\/p>\n
In central Florida, United Way of Central Florida administers the program in Polk County and also serves children in Highlands and Hardee counties. The organization says more than 25,000 books were mailed to local children in fiscal year 2023-24 alone.<\/p>\n
Christina Criser Jackson, CEO of United Way of Central Florida, said the program can be especially important for children who may not have books at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstilling the love of reading is so important in our children in Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties,\u201d she said. \u201cOnly two out of 10 low-income children are ready for kindergarten when they enter the kindergarten classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
For some families, the program has become a monthly tradition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI jokingly say that my daughter feels like she has Aunt Dolly, who sends her these amazing books each month,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n
United Way says funding limits how many children can participate and is seeking additional sponsors to keep the program going. The organization says it costs about $30 to support a child for a year.<\/p>\n
Parton\u2019s influence also reached generations of country musicians.<\/p>\n
David Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers, who lives near Dade City, recorded a duet with Parton years ago. He remembers her as someone who was remarkably consistent on and off stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was always just fun to be around Dolly,” he said. “You know, she was just what she was. Nobody had to wonder, you know. People didn\u2019t have to go away and say, \u2018Hey, I wonder if she\u2019s different when she\u2019s off-stage.\u2019 She was just the same all the time.\u201d <\/p>\n
Bellamy said Parton\u2019s ability to bring together different parts of the music world was part of what made her unique.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t have any burials musically,\u201d he said. \u201cShe\u2019d sing with Ozzy Osbourne, or she\u2019d sing with the, you know, local bluegrass band.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787795913_718_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Courtesy of The Bellamy Brothers<\/p>\n
The Bellamy Brothers with Dolly Parton <\/p>\n
Bellamy said he doesn’t expect another artist to have quite the same combination of talent, authenticity and reach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there will be another one like Dolly,\u201d Bellamy said. \u201cShe broke the mold.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the people carrying on her work locally, that may ultimately be Parton\u2019s most lasting legacy: using extraordinary success to give something back.<\/p>\n
And United Way says Dolly\u2019s literacy mission will continue through the Imagination Library and other programs, including Reading Pals<\/a>, which connects volunteers with young children to help build early reading skills.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KATIE.LAGRONE.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Challenges over Florida’s school bus and school speed zone camera face setbacks as legal battles continue<\/p>\n
Cameras catching drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses or speed through school zones are generating millions of citations across Florida \u2014 and a growing wave of legal challenges.<\/p>\n
Legal challenges over school bus and school speed zone cameras hit roadblocks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"POLK COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 Dolly Parton\u2019s death marks the end of a remarkable career, but people across the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":382171,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[32422,153349,153350,78462,6184,152899,63696,23291,1911,135,5910,137,136],"class_list":["post-382170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-bellamy-brothers","tag-books-for-kids","tag-david-bellamy","tag-dolly-parton","tag-downtown-tampa","tag-imagination-library","tag-literacy","tag-mural","tag-polk-county","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-bay-28","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}