Dolly Parton’s death has prompted an outpouring of gratitude for her music, her humor, and her extraordinary generosity and goodwill. For me, one part of her legacy feels especially close to home.

In 2024, the Trustees of New Salem Academy partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to fund free monthly books for young children in our area. The program was created by Dolly in 1995 with a simple idea: every child, regardless of family income, should have books of their own.

Through our local program, children from birth through age 5 can receive a new, high-quality, age-appropriate book mailed directly to their home every month, at no cost to their families. The program is currently available in Athol, Erving, Leverett, Montague, New Salem, Orange, Petersham, Shutesbury, and Wendell. The program has also recently added an option for bilingual English-Spanish books, which families can choose at sign-up.

Dolly often spoke about her father, who could not read or write, and how that experience helped inspire the Imagination Library. What began as a gift to children in her home county grew into a worldwide effort that has put hundreds of millions of books into children’s hands.

Her passing is a moment to remember that legacy. It is also an opportunity to continue it.

If you have a young child in one of our participating communities, please take a moment to see if your family is eligible. And if you know a young family, tell them about the program. A book arriving in the mailbox may seem like a small thing, but over five years it can become a shelf full of stories, a routine of reading together, and a child’s first relationship with books.

Parents can sign up their children here: https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/affiliate/MANEWSALEM/

Dolly Parton gave us a remarkable example of how an idea rooted in one person’s experience can become a gift to millions.

We are honored to help carry a small part of that gift forward here at home. Thank you, Dolly. We will always love you.

Nate Hurwitz, local program manager for Imagination Library and Trustee of New Salem Academy

Amherst