Parton's legacy lives on through Books From Birth

As Warren County joins the world in mourning the loss of entertainment icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton, one organization provides a tangible way to honor her memory locally.

Warren County’s Books From Birth program is an extension of Parton’s Imagination Library, but the program relies on local funding. While the country music legend‘s organization negotiates wholesale prices for the books, selects them and funds the infrastructure local organizations use, the local group is responsible for paying for the books and the postage used to send a new book to children each month. Currently, Warren County’s Books from Birth program serves 1,500-2,000 children.

“For us, Dolly’s greatest gift arrives in a mailbox every month with a child’s name on it,“ local Books From Birth Program Coordinator Sarah Cantrell said. “She gave communities like ours a way to invest in children from the very beginning. Dolly created the program and made that moment possible, but it takes local support to keep those books coming. Continuing that work here in Warren County is one of the most meaningful ways we can honor not only her memory, but her legacy.”

In a statement on Partin’s official Facebook page, her family asks in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Imagination Library organization.

For more information about the local program, to register your child for Books From Birth or to donate, visit the organization’s website or contact Cantrell at (931) 668-4022 or cantrells2@warrenschools.com.

Donations may also be made through the McMinnville - Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s PayPal. The Chamber houses the Foundation for Educational Progress which is the funding mechanism for the local Books From Birth.