Read the Beautiful Letter Dolly Parton Sent to Imagination Library Graduates: ‘There Is No Limit to What You Can Do

Dolly Parton ‘s legacy lives on and on. In addition to her enviable six-decade catalog of country and pop hits , the country icon is being remembered for her historic charitable giving through the Imagination Library. The nonprofit has distributed more than 330 million free books to children age birth to five around the world over the past 30 years, mailing a new, age-appropriate book each month to children in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Australia and Canada, regardless of income.

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On the day Parton died last week at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer, Washington Post writer Hannah Sampson shared a picture of the final message Parton sent to kids in the last Imagination Library book they received before starting school.

“Dear Imagination Library Graduate,” wrote Parton. “My how time flies. It seems it was only yesterday when your family and friends read you your first story. You were just a baby. Now you’re five years old and about to go to school. How exciting!”

And while the book was the last one they would receive from Parton’s charity, she said reading brings a lifetime of joy and adventure. “This may be your last book from my Imagination Library, but you have to promise me you will keep on reading,” she wrote. “If you go to your local public library you will find a great number of books just for kids your age. Every book is a treasure and every time you open one up you will meet new friends and take wonderful journeys to magical places.”

Ten-time Grammy winner Parton launched the Imagination Library in 1995 in her native Sevier County, Tenn. and by 2022 the charity was mailing two million books a month around the world. The effort was inspired by Parton’s father, Lee Parton, who she said never learned to read or write. “Even though my daddy didn’t get an education, my daddy was really smart in making deals and bargaining and how he raised a family like he did,” she told  Billboard   in her 2020 cover story.

The Imagination graduate note from Parton ended with the kind of uplifting, positive message that was a hallmark of the singer’s public persona and outlook on life. “I hope you have a great time in school,” she said. “I bet your school will even have a library where you can check out books. You and all of your friends are very special. There is no limit to what you can do or how far you can go. Just remember the lesson my family taught me — dream big dreams; learn everything you can learn; and care for all those who care for you. You do all of those things and you can be anyone you want to be. You are terrific, and remember … I Will Always Love You.”

The Library of Congress shared a tribute to Parton’s good works last week shortly after news of her death broke, writing, “The Library is devastated to learn of the passing of @DollyParton, a music legend and titan of children’s literacy. Her Imagination Library program has earned multiple Library Literacy Awards and, in 2018, she visited us to donate its 100 millionth book to our collection and host a story time,” the post continued, alongside a sweet photo of Parton reading a book to a group of enraptured children seated on the floor in front of her.”

Parton was laid to rest on Friday in a private family funeral in Nashville.

Check out a video version of the message Parton sent to graduates in 2002 below.