RI chief meets with Dolly Parton to talk literacy

By Joseph Derr
Rotary International News -- 7 September 2011

Margarita Hewko, Dollywood Foundation President David Dotson, Dolly Parton, and John Hewko meet backstage at the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont, Illinois, USA, on 28 July. Photo courtesy of Margarita Hewko

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General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International John Hewko visited backstage with country music legend Dolly Parton during her 28 July concert stop in the Chicago area. The meeting further strengthened ties between RI and Parton’s Dollywood Foundation to promote reading and literacy.

“We reaffirmed Rotary’s commitment to working with Dolly’s foundation on literacy,” says Hewko. “Both of our organizations have put basic education and literacy front and center and have worked together on that goal.”

In 2009, RI announced a collaborative arrangement with the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library program. Since then, hundreds of Rotary clubs in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have initiated literacy projects.

Parton was also a speaker at the 2010 RI Convention in Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Rotary clubs are encouraged to support the Imagination Library program, in which children from birth until age five receive age-appropriate books each month, so that parents and other family members can begin reading to them as soon as possible.

“Collaborating with the Imagination Library is a great way for Rotary clubs in these countries to contribute to literacy -- one of Rotary’s six areas of focus -- in a very direct and effective way,” Hewko says.

Hewko added that it’s an ideal time for clubs to get started on Imagination Library projects, with International Literacy Day 8 September.

For more information:

Download a fact sheet about the Imagination Library or visit their website.
Review how Rotary works with external organizations, including the Dollywood Foundation, on common goals.
View a video of Dolly Parton at the 2010 RI Convention.

4 Comments:

At 2:25PM on 15 September 2011, Richard Downer wrote: Our club, Rotary Club for Herndon, VA USA, has worked with The Dollywood Foundation since 2005 on our Imagination Library Project. We now serve over 400 pre-kindergarten children in our community and have :graduated 436 children into kindergarten since inception. Great project!

At 2:24PM on 15 September 2011, Maureen Duncan wrote: As a past President and long time member of the Victoria Harbourside Rotary Club in BC I'm delighted to say we are pursuing a relationship with Dolly Parton Foundation hoping to expand the opportunity for children in our area to be given a change to explore the written word given them a better future.

At 11:30AM on 12 September 2011, PDG Kenan J. Kern wrote: In 2009 Rotary Districts 6900, 6910, and 6920 in the state of Georgia had the opportunity to host Dolly Parton in Atlanta as Rotary International announced the newly formed partnership with the Imagination Library. Dolly shared and entertained our audiance about her passion to develop reading ability of young people through her program with the Imagination Library. With this partnership, many Rotarians now are able to engage literacy projects through this newly formed partnership.

At 9:44AM on 12 September 2011, Stan Doore wrote: The quickest and surest way to raise the education level of all is to implement tablet PC learning worldwide. In mass production, a tablet PC for learning purposes will cost less than $100 each initaially and cost will decrease. These tablet PCs will have access to the huge volume of learning resources and information via the Internet, including libraries. Regards, Stan Doore

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