BUTTE — Dolly Parton was the epitome of glitz and glamour, but she attributed her success to her writing skills. Literacy was important to Parton, which is why she started her Imagination Library — a program that has reached communities across the United States and the world.
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In Butte, community members are sharing how Parton impacted their lives and how she is inspiring the next generation.
It's around lunchtime, and Terri Amberg, the director of Butte 4C's, is reading to her 2-year-old granddaughter Arwen. The Butte nonprofit first brought Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to Silver Bow County six years ago. The program has since been adopted by Montana First Lady Susan Gianforte's foundation and now serves little readers statewide.
Amberg said literacy is essential for young children.
"Oh, it helps with their vocabulary, their communication," Amberg said.
Amberg said literacy helps children express themselves and get their needs met.
"You know, they do say there's like a 30 million word gap when children aren't exposed to books and reading," Amberg said.
Parton's own father was illiterate. She created her library as a tribute to her father, the smartest man she said she ever knew. In a letter to the public on the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, she wondered what dreams her own father would have fulfilled if he had learned to read and write.
Heather Lingle is a local singer and songwriter who also helps college students find their voices as writers at Montana Tech. Lingle grew up in Texas, where she learned to sing Parton's music as a child. As an adult, she has been playing Parton's music for over two decades.
"You cannot be a good writer unless you read. You have to read, and becoming a good reader increases your writing potential," Lingle said.
Lingle reflected on Parton's broader impact.
"She's had an enormous impact on American music, but I'd also say, she was a female country artist in the 70's in a male-dominated field, and she stood on her own because she wrote those songs," Lingle said.
Parton wrote songs for herself and for other musicians. She was 80 years old when she died, but her legacy of giving back through her music and many charitable endeavors lives on.
"Dolly will...will be hard to be without. She will be missed. You know, she was just very instrumental in bringing books to children and just her songs...," Amberg said.
The Butte 4C's will host an event at the end of September celebrating the distribution of the one millionth book by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to Montana children.
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