Parton, whose career spanned six decades and included songs such as “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You” and “9 to 5,” also founded Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides free books to children from birth to age 5 regardless of family income.
Source: Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (via Facebook)
Images: Courtesy
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is mourning the death of country music legend Dolly Parton, remembering both the music she leaves behind and a literacy program that has placed nearly 2 million books in the hands of New Mexico children.
Parton, whose career spanned six decades and included songs such as “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You” and “9 to 5,” also founded Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides free books to children from birth to age 5 regardless of family income.
In a statement following Parton’s death, Lujan Grisham reflected on both parts of that legacy:
“Today we lost Dolly Parton — a voice that shaped American music for six decades, from “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” to “9 to 5.”
“Dolly proved you could be a chart-topping legend, an Oscar-nominated actress, and a devoted advocate for children all at once.
“New Mexico benefited tremendously from Dolly’s extraordinary generosity. In our state, her Imagination Library launched in 2010 with eight kids in Grant County. Today, nearly 2 million books have been distributed to New Mexico’s youngsters because one woman believed a book in the hands of a child could change everything.
“Thank you, Dolly, for the stories, the music and for always believing in our kids. Your songs will live in our hearts forever, and countless New Mexico children will lead lives with greater imagination because of the books you gave them.”
Eight Children in Grant County
The New Mexico story referenced by the governor began modestly.
As Las Cruces Digest reported in June (NMSU Alumni help inspire literacy in state) , Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was founded in Tennessee in 1995. Its New Mexico presence began in 2010, when Loren and Barbara Nelson established the state’s first Imagination Library affiliate in Grant County.
The program initially provided books to just eight children in Bayard. Within three years, the Grant County affiliate was delivering books to 80% of children younger than 5 in the county.
New Mexico State University graduate Nancy Stephens, center, is the state director for Imagination Library of New Mexico, a program that has sent nearly two million books to children in New Mexico. (NMSU Photo by Jay Hemphill)
Nancy Stephens, a 2000 New Mexico State University graduate, became executive director of the Grant County affiliate in 2016 and now also serves as state director for Imagination Library of New Mexico.
The program provides participating children with free, age-appropriate books from birth through age 5. Stephens told NMSU earlier this year that the value of those books extends beyond developing reading skills.
“People are sometimes skeptical about the books being free,” Stephens said, “but there really are no strings. Occasionally, we are asked why we don’t provide tablets instead. With a tablet, parental involvement is less; you don’t have the back-and-forth. Imagination Library’s benefits extend far beyond reading proficiency. When you read to babies, toddlers or preschoolers, they naturally want to be in your lap, which creates a warm, personal connection.”
What began with eight children in Grant County has since grown into the statewide program Lujan Grisham pointed to in remembering Parton — one the governor said has now distributed nearly 2 million books to New Mexico children.
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