Nearly 1,000 New York City Children Receive Free Books on Dolly Parton Appreciation Day
On September 25, 2026, New York City marked Dolly Parton Appreciation Day with an event centered on one of the country music icon’s most enduring causes: childhood literacy. Nearly 1,000 children in Manhattan received free books through a partnership involving Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and Vanderbilt University. The celebration brought together young children, educators, community leaders and public officials for a day that connected reading, education and the legacy of a performer whose influence extended far beyond music.
The event took place at The Refectory on Vanderbilt University’s New York City campus. According to Vanderbilt, its gift will help bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library back to Manhattan and provide free books to 925 children. The figure explains the “nearly 1,000” description used in coverage of the event. New York City Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels participated by reading to pre-K students, while actors from Dolly: A True Original Musical performed musical tributes.
For the children sitting together during the celebration, the occasion was not simply a tribute to a famous singer. It was also a practical demonstration of how books can become a lasting part of childhood. Each book represents an opportunity for a child to discover a new character, understand a different experience, learn unfamiliar words or simply develop the pleasure of turning the pages of a story.
A Celebration Built Around Books
Dolly Parton Appreciation Day was officially proclaimed in Manhattan by Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal. The date, September 25, was chosen as a reference to Parton’s famous song and film 9 to 5. The proclamation recognizes her contributions to music and entertainment while also highlighting her work in literacy, education and community support.
The timing of the celebration was especially significant in 2026. Parton died on August 25 at the age of 80, and communities across the United States have used September 25 to celebrate her life and legacy. The Associated Press reported that communities around the country have organized celebrations involving music, books, charitable activities and other tributes.
In Manhattan, organizers chose literacy as a central part of the commemoration. Rather than focusing exclusively on Parton’s decades-long career as a singer, songwriter and actress, the event emphasized one of her most recognizable philanthropic projects: the Imagination Library.
That choice reflects the importance Parton placed on books and early childhood reading throughout her philanthropic career. The program was founded in 1995 and developed into an international initiative that provides books to young children. According to the Manhattan Borough President’s office, the program has distributed more than 300 million free books to children around the world.
The New York City celebration therefore connected Parton’s personal history with a broader educational mission. Her public story began in rural Tennessee, where she grew up in a large family with limited financial resources. Education and literacy later became important parts of her charitable work, including the creation of a program designed to make books available to children regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.
Why Early Access to Books Matters
Giving children books at an early age can have significance beyond the immediate excitement of receiving something new to read. Early childhood is a period when language skills develop rapidly, and reading with children can expose them to vocabulary, storytelling, sounds, concepts and different ways of understanding the world.
A personal collection of books can also create a different relationship with reading. A child who receives a book regularly can begin to associate reading with anticipation and discovery rather than viewing books only as objects found at school.
This is one of the ideas behind the Imagination Library. The program is designed to place books directly in children's hands, making reading materials part of their everyday lives. Its approach is particularly notable because access is not structured solely around academic performance. Instead, the program focuses on young children and their families.
The Manhattan event illustrated that philosophy. Instead of treating literacy as an abstract educational objective, organizers placed actual books in front of children and created an environment where reading was part of a public celebration.
The Vanderbilt University announcement said its New York gift will provide books to 925 children. Vanderbilt made a comparable contribution in Nashville, where another 925 children participating in the Imagination Library of Middle Tennessee will receive support equivalent to a month of books.
A Personal Connection to Literacy
Parton’s commitment to literacy has often been connected to her upbringing and her father, Robert Lee Parton. According to reporting on her life, her father was unable to read and write, and Parton later cited that experience as part of the inspiration for the Imagination Library.
That connection gives the program a personal dimension. For Parton, books were not simply another charitable cause. Literacy represented an opportunity that could influence a person’s education and future.
The story also fits into the broader themes that appeared throughout Parton’s music and public life. Many of her songs explored poverty, family, work, ambition, childhood and resilience. Her 1971 song “Coat of Many Colors,” for example, drew on her childhood experiences and the coat her mother made for her. The story became an enduring part of Parton’s artistic identity and was later adapted into children's educational material.
That connection between storytelling and childhood education is particularly relevant to the Imagination Library. Parton built a career around telling stories through songs, and her literacy initiative applies a similar principle to books: giving children access to stories can help them imagine lives and possibilities beyond their immediate surroundings.
Children at the Center of the Event
Images from the Manhattan celebration show children gathered together on the floor while adults and community members watch from the back of the room. The scene is notably different from the large concert venues and television stages associated with Parton’s career.
Here, the focus is on young children sitting with books and listening to stories.
New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels participated in the program by reading Coat of Many Colors to kindergarteners from P.S. 11, according to local reporting. The choice of that particular book created another connection between Parton’s personal story and the children attending the celebration.
Reading aloud is a simple activity, but it can create a shared experience among children and adults. In a classroom, a teacher may use a story to introduce vocabulary or discuss emotions and relationships. At a public event, the same activity can communicate something broader: that children's education and access to books are worthy of public attention.
The presence of nearly 1,000 children also gave the event a scale that went beyond a symbolic tribute. The books represented a tangible benefit for families.
From Country Music to a Broader Cultural Legacy
Dolly Parton became one of the most recognizable figures in American entertainment during a career that lasted more than six decades. She achieved major success as a singer and songwriter while also working in film, television and business.
Her songs “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You” and “9 to 5” became cultural landmarks. She also established Dollywood, a major theme park in Tennessee, and maintained strong connections with her home region.
Her professional achievements were accompanied by extensive philanthropic work. The Imagination Library became one of her most visible charitable projects, but it was not her only contribution. Reporting on her life has documented donations for disaster relief, healthcare and medical research, including a $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University in 2020 that supported COVID-19 vaccine research.
The range of those activities helps explain why the New York City tribute focused on more than music.
Parton’s legacy is now being discussed through several different lenses: entertainment, songwriting, entrepreneurship, regional identity and philanthropy. The Manhattan celebration concentrated specifically on the educational side of that legacy.
Why the Date September 25 Was Chosen
The date itself contains a deliberate reference to Parton’s career.
September 25 can be written as “9/25,” creating a visual connection to 9 to 5, one of Parton’s best-known songs. The song was written for the 1980 film of the same name, in which Parton made her film debut alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
The song became one of Parton’s signature works and was closely associated with the experiences of working women.
Manhattan was not the only place to use September 25 as a day of recognition. Nashville also selected the date for its Dolly Day celebrations. Vanderbilt reported that Nashville marked the occasion with pink lights, children's activities and fundraising efforts connected to literacy and local nonprofit organizations.
This means the New York event was part of a larger national and international effort to commemorate Parton following her death.
The Vanderbilt Connection
Vanderbilt University played a central role in the New York celebration because the university has campuses and community relationships in both Nashville and New York.
Its September 25 announcement described the New York donation as an effort to help bring the Imagination Library back to Manhattan. The contribution supports 925 children. Vanderbilt also provided support for 925 children in Middle Tennessee, making the two parts of the gift parallel.
The partnership also reflects a longer relationship between Vanderbilt and Parton. In addition to her support for medical research, Vanderbilt researchers and educational programs have worked on early-literacy initiatives connected with the Dollywood Foundation and other community organizations.
That history made the university an appropriate setting for a celebration that combined education, children's literature and Parton's legacy.
A Legacy That Can Continue
One of the most important aspects of the Manhattan event is that it points toward an ongoing mission rather than a single day of remembrance.
A tribute event lasts for several hours. A book, however, can remain with a child for years.
That distinction is important when considering the legacy of a public figure. Songs can be streamed, movies can be watched and photographs can be displayed, but philanthropic programs can continue producing effects long after the person who created them is gone.
The Imagination Library is structured around precisely that idea. Its work does not depend on children knowing who Dolly Parton is before receiving a book. A child can encounter the program first through a story, develop a love of reading and only later learn about the person whose name appears on the program.
In that sense, the 925 children receiving books in Manhattan are part of a much larger story.
More Than a Celebrity Tribute
Celebrity tributes often revolve around performances, speeches, photographs and memories. The Manhattan event included those elements, but the distribution of books gave the celebration a practical purpose.
The children pictured at the event were not simply an audience for a tribute to an entertainer. They were participants in a literacy initiative.
That distinction matters because it reflects one of the defining characteristics of Parton’s charitable work: using her public platform to draw attention to projects that have a direct effect on people's lives.
The event also demonstrated how public recognition can be connected with community programs. A proclamation from a borough president gives an occasion an official character, while a university donation provides material support. Educators bring reading into the event, and children become the central participants.
Together, those elements transform a commemorative day into an educational activity.
Looking Beyond September 25
As the celebrations surrounding Dolly Parton continue, the long-term question will be how her philanthropic projects develop in the years ahead.
The Imagination Library already operates on a scale far beyond one city. According to the Manhattan Borough President’s office, the program has distributed more than 300 million books globally.
The New York event shows how that broader mission can be translated into a local impact. For 925 Manhattan children, the celebration was associated with something concrete: free books and an opportunity to engage with reading.
That may ultimately be one of the clearest ways to understand Parton’s legacy. Her career produced songs that became part of popular culture, but her charitable work created programs designed to operate independently of the entertainment industry.
A child does not need to know every Dolly Parton song to benefit from a book.
A family does not need to be a country-music fan to appreciate access to free reading material.
And a school does not need a concert stage to celebrate the importance of literacy.
Conclusion
The September 25 Dolly Parton Appreciation Day celebration in Manhattan brought together music, education, philanthropy and childhood literacy. Nearly 1,000 children received free books, with Vanderbilt University confirming that 925 children were included in its New York City contribution to the Imagination Library.
The event came only weeks after Parton’s death at age 80, making the celebration part of a much wider period of remembrance. Yet its focus on children and books ensured that the occasion was not solely about looking backward.
It was also about continuing a mission.
Parton built an extraordinary career through music, film and business, but the Imagination Library represents a different kind of achievement. Instead of asking audiences to simply remember her songs, it gives communities a way to carry forward an educational idea: that children should have opportunities to discover books and develop a relationship with reading.
In New York City, that idea took a very visible form on September 25. Children gathered together, educators read aloud, performers paid tribute to Parton and hundreds of families received books.
For the children involved, the most lasting part of the celebration may not be the speeches or photographs. It may simply be the moment when they open a book and begin reading.
And that is perhaps the clearest connection between Dolly Parton’s life as a storyteller and her legacy as a literacy advocate: the story continues when another child turns the page.
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