Who We Are:
Our governing body is a small board of up to 11 local residents who meet quarterly to oversee the operation of the Library. We received our non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service in October of 2011. We have one part-time Executive Director, who helps register children, recruits and manages volunteers, makes informational presentations to interested community organizations and assists in grant writing and other administrative details. Click here to see the bios of our current staff and board members.
The Dollywood Foundation manages our secure database of children and oversees the monthly shipping of books. We raise funds locally from individuals, businesses and service organizations to cover the cost of the books and postage. We also apply to area and state-wide foundations for additional funding.
How Did It All Begin?
In 1995, Dolly Parton started a program so that every child in her home county of Sevier, Tennessee, could receive his or her own library of books. It was so successful that she found a way for communities across the country to replicate the program.
Today there are about 2,500 affiliates like ours across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Since its beginning, over 134,000,000 books have been mailed to pre-school children. Over 1.5 million books are being mailed monthly from the foundation’s mailing house in Knoxville, TN.
Dolly says, “This program is one of the most important ways I know to improve the educational opportunities in your community!”
