Originally published published: Aug. 25, 2026 at 10:53 PM CDT | Rockford News First
www.rockfordnewsfirst.com/2026/08/26/dolly-partons-literacy-legacy-reaches-thousands-winnebago-county-children/
ROCKFORD, Ill. (Rockford News First) - Country music icon Dolly Parton died Tuesday at 80, leaving behind a legacy that stretches far beyond the stage and into the homes of thousands of children in Winnebago County.
“I was a little shocked because she’s someone that you just, I guess, kind of think of her being immortal,” said Jessica Iasparro, United Way Rock River Valley Community Impact Director.
Rockford native Mary Ann Presman said she had the privilege to see Parton perform live at Harlem High School in the late 70’s.
“It made me realize how fortunate I had been to see her and heard her. It was quite really memorable,” reminisced Presman. “I was saddened I really was. I heard the other day that she was not well, but I didn’t expect that we would get this death notice so early.”
Presman said she remembers the crowd booing the opening act and Parton defending the band.
“Dolly Parton. Bless her heart. She came striding out on stage and she was shaking her finger at the audience and she was saying, shame on you. Shame on you. These young men are doing the best and they’re very good,” said Presman.
Parton launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1995 after watching her father struggle with reading and writing. What started as an effort to provide books to children in her home county in Tennessee grew into a worldwide literacy program.
Today, the Imagination Library sends one free, age-appropriate book each month to more than 3 million children from birth through age five around the world. United Way Rock River Valley launched Winnebago County’s program in 2022.
Youth Literacy Manager Dan Berman says 5,660 children in Winnebago County currently receive a book every month. Just more than 5,100 children have graduated from the program since it launched locally.
“It really warms my heart that we are going to have a much more kind and literate generation to come, thanks to the books that were provided,” said Berman.
For some families, Iasparro says the monthly delivery provides the first new books they have ever owned.
“We talk to families that these are the first new books they have in their house. These are the only books they have in their home library,” said Iasparro.
United Way also recently created four satellite pickup locations across Winnebago County for families without stable housing.
Children can use one of those locations as a mailing address and pick up their monthly book there.
Berman says Illinois currently pays half the cost of the books distributed locally, while United Way Rock River Valley funds the other half. He says community and donor support will help sustain the program.
The Imagination Library also plays a role in United Way’s broader effort to improve childhood literacy.
The organization wants 75% of Winnebago County third graders reading at or above grade level by year 2034.
“I hope that all the kids who are getting these books now are going to be adults who read, and adults who read, read to their kids,” said Iasparro.
Despite Parton’s death, Berman says families should not expect the books to stop arriving.
“Nothing will change with the program,” said Berman. “We will mourn her loss. She was a huge advocate for early literacy, and we will only intensify our efforts to keep that going.”
Children in Winnebago County can enroll in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library from birth through their fifth birthday through United Way Rock River Valley.