Dolly Parton’s death has sparked a surge of support for one of the country music legend’s most enduring charitable efforts, with hundreds of Alabama residents backing a specialty license plate that would help fund her Imagination Library.
According to Fox News, Parton died Tuesday at age 80, leaving behind a career filled with hits including "Jolene," "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You."
Her charitable work, particularly her effort to put free books in the hands of children, has become a major part of her legacy.
Kaelyn Christian, Alabama state director for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, told Fox News Digital that interest in the proposed license plate has grown rapidly.
The effort had about 40 commitments at the start of the week. By Wednesday afternoon, that number had climbed past 550, putting the initiative more than halfway toward the 1,000 commitments needed for the plate to enter production.
"It's exploded over the last 24 hours really," Christian said.
"It's been amazing," she added. "If you had asked me last week if I thought we would make a thousand, I would have said I'm not sure. But now I'm really confident I think that we'll hit that 1,000 mark."
About $50 from each specialty plate would go toward the Imagination
Library program in the Alabama county where the vehicle is registered.
The annual fee would provide a continuing source of local funding while giving drivers a way to support the program.
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 in honor of her father, who never learned to read or write.
The program provides enrolled children with one free book each month from birth through age 5, allowing them to receive as many as 60 books.
More than 300 million books have been distributed worldwide since the program began.
About 114,000 Alabama children are currently enrolled, Christian said. She said registrations have also surged following Parton's death.
Christian said the money from one specialty plate could provide enough books for two children for nearly two years, or about 48 books.
She pointed to the personal impact of the program, recalling her nearly 5-year-old son saying, "Ms. Dolly sent me another book."
Alabama's Imagination Library expanded statewide under Gov. Kay Ivey in 2023 and reached all 67 counties in early 2025. The state provides 50% financial support for participating children.