OHIO — Country music legend Dolly Parton has died after a “brief battle with cancer.”
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The 5-foot-tall ball of fire called herself a workhorse, which looked like a show horse.
She was born into poverty in rural Tennessee but appreciated the way her family raised her.
Later, her fame and fortune allowed her to touch millions of kids’ lives, including young children across Ohio.
We are one of nine states where every child 5 and under can get a free book through Dolly’s Imagination Library.
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She worked along First Lady Fran DeWine to expand the program.
More than 30 rest areas have Parton’s storybook trails.
“It’s been a tough day,” DeWine said.
The first lady of Ohio was noticeably sad Tuesday afternoon talking about Parton’s passing.
“It’s like losing a member of your family because we’ve worked so much with Dolly Parton and the Dollywood Foundation,” DeWine said.
That work is bringing the Imagination Library to every community in Ohio since 2019.
Every month the program sends free books to thousands of Ohio children, regardless of income.
“You can’t do well in school if you don’t learn to read. So it’s just such an important thing. Dolly realized that her father could not read or write, but she said he was the smartest person that she knew. So she started this book program,” DeWine said.
Since then, 26 million books have been mailed to kids in Ohio.
The state says Ohio has more kids getting free books than any other state.
People running the program say those kids are getting excited to read because of Parton’s generosity.
“Very excited to get the book, and the book comes with the name, and it’s like oh mom i got a new book. I got a new mail, so they go and sit down and how he likes following the pictures,” Sophia Ruigu, Dayton Children’s Hospital community engagement coordinator, said.
“Dolly did such an incredible job just making this program happen for all of us, and you know, it’s just been wonderful,” DeWine said.
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